I believe that it is important for birds to develop flight skills while they're young. It's much easier for them to pick up and learn flight skills when they are young.
And I will also say that some of that flying skill they can only learn natural when they are in the beginning of flight. That means that they never had a reason to be afraid to not manage to fly because some clipped their wings.
To have great natural flying skills they must fly a lot when they are babies, they must be building confidence, strong heart and lungs, and also strong muscles for flying.
I'm going to equate this to human development so please forgive, if your daughter wants to be a gymnast you would have her learn gymnastics while she is young because once she reaches adulthood learning those skills, while not impossible, is much harder.
Great comparison.
I will also say that to be a gymnastic (with skills) is impossible if you are older. (I have been a gymnastic, so I know what I'm talking about)
I have two Pionus girls and none of them was ever clipped.
My Akela was wild and parent raised when I got her at 11 weeks old, (born in a big outside aviary) and she has been flying here since then.
She has skills I can tell you.
You must see her to believe it. She can manage to fly through a door that is only open 10 cm.
And she can stop in the air and turn around and fly back. She is amazing. I love watching her flying!
Then we have Eliy. Eliy is a rescue, she hasn't been clipped. But as her owners put her in a to small cage, and never let her out enough (that was to spoil her they said) she never learn to fly like Akela did. And she is still learning every day, but that kind of confidence like Akela has as it is her natural transportation she will never have.
You can only learn that natural when you are still young enough.
If someone here that are used to see a bird fly that earlier was clipped you probably would have thought that Eliy was an excellent flyer, but as I never had a clipped bird I can see the different. Eliy is a great flyer, but she don't have (and sadly never will) skills like Akela have.
So you also believe that it is important for birds to develop flight skills when they are young.
Of course you should never buy a baby from a breeder that don't understand that.
They don't listen to the babies needs, if they did they never would have clipped them.
As I see it, clipping birds wings must have an end, and as long as we continue buying birds with clipped wings we accept what the breeder say that they will learn to fly later.
So that you refuses to buy from that kind of breeder makes me really happy!
Good Luck in finding a new flying family member!
And also, don't be afraid to buy a baby that is parent raised. You will get a 100% bird, and not a bird that is characterized on people.
I will say that my Akela is the most easy bird I ever had. Not needy, very independent, don't care at all of what I'm wearing, what I'm doing, or if I had clipped or colored my hair.
She is loving, never angry, very playful and love interactions, but not in a needy way. And yes, she is really tame, so their is no need to have a hand raised baby.