Fledging a clipped cockatiel?

[minischn]

Okay, so I know the whole "clipped vs flighted" thing is highly controversial. I've read a lot on the pros and cons to both in the last year of research but I just can't bring myself to accept that clipped is the way to go. So here's my question.

I'm a new bird owner, and I know it's going to be difficult. I don't mind a little hard work. But I have two possibilities right now. First, I have a breeder, who is currently handfeeding his cockatiels right now. I'm goign to meet them soon I hope. Anyways, he's for clipping and he won't NOT clip the birds wings, which I totally understand. It's his belief and there is reason for it. Anyways, I would like to flight train my birds (inside only of course) but I'm not sure how to with a clipped bird. I plan to do some bonding while the wings are clipped, but I'm not sure when I would start teaching her to fly (he only has females right now).

So here's some of the main questions from this. I know a clipped bird can fly, slightly. Do I wait until the weathers are starting to grow early and begin the really simple flights when the wings are still clipped (obviously very carefully since the clipped wings would be a handicap)? Do I just wait until they grow out? And how long would it take for the wings to grow back out? And how should I really go about doing this? Has anyone on here ever done it?

But, I do have another option I've been looking into, and I am leaning towards it, but the girl hasn't gotten back to me recently. So she has a male bird, flighted, but he's shy. It's not that he isn't 'tamed' persay he just needs some work to be more social and trusting, so I'd have to work on bonding a bit more with him.

So question set number two: do I just totally abandon the headache of teaching a clipped bird to fly or stick with enhancing the skills of this male while bonding?

P.S I have posted this on two sites.

 

[JLcribber]

The trouble is that the breeder wants to clip the bird at the most critical stage of it's young life when it is of the utmost importance that the bird be allowed to fledge properly and acquire "good" flight skills before even considering being clipped. It has a huge psychological effect on how the adult bird thinks. Letting a bird fly a "few" times and then clipped is NOT properly fledged.

The breeder is doing it for "his" convenience and not doing it because it's good for the bird because it's not.

----> Thinking on the wing

 

[65sunnyday]

Hi Minischn--Are you asking whether you should adopt as opposed to buying from a breeder? Knowing what I do now, I would ADOPT a rescued bird, esp since you want a flighted bird, but I am not sure that all rescues have their birds flighted. However, A new bird w/clipped wings is not a bad thing--the clipped feathers will be moulted before you know it, & in the meantime, you can work on making friends, building trust, & training (step ups,etc) What do you do while the wings are growing out? Wing it. If you go with the breeder, tell him/her that the sale is contingent on the bird being flighted.

 

[minischn]

Well, I've talked to him recently and he's actually already clipped the wings slightly, which freaks me out since they aren't even weaned and I can't imagine them having full feathers yet. They must have been between 4 and 7 weeks old.

And as for the other one, I found a girl trying to rehome her flighted bird. He has been clipped before, but next time I talk to her I'll ask if he was flighted as a baby bird. Thanks for the link and any advice! After a year of research I still really don't know exactly what I'm doing

 

[Anne & Gang]

well we didnt k now wh en we got Sam....she was flighted when we saw her but when we went to pick her up, she was clipped...we let her wings grow in of course and today she flies like a jet....I think, now this is my opinion...breeders clip because it is more convenient for t hem.

 

[minischn]

this particular breeder told me he did it to keep them from the windows and away from other birds cages.

 

[Anne & Gang]

that is bs....they do it because it would be a free for all in there with birdies flying all over..no breeder would clip that young otherwise..no breeder....I m ight get castigated for this bu t I dont care

 

[minischn]

I don't personally mind, and yeah it freaks my parents out too. I mean, they already come into a life that's more restrained then it would have been if they were free, and I can't imagine clipping their wings on TOP of that. I never knew how crazily it affected them though. I don't think I could do it. I'd rather have more trouble then restrain them like that.

 

[JLcribber]

this particular breeder told me he did it to keep them from the windows and away from other birds cages.

That right there sounds an awful lot like convenience to me.

 

[minischn]

that's what I thought... it sounded more like "I wanted to keep them out of the way" to me

 

[lalagimp]

I think I may disagree but depending on what type of bird. GCCs are fast growers. I met Koi before both eyes were open all the way. When she started learning to fly we let her go until she started going over your head too often all around the bird store. We had a good discussion about this and the shop didn't insist on it but it seemed to work out. We clipped back a small bit to control how much lift she was getting and yes she was still handfeeding. Two weeks later she was at it again, strong enough to go nuts around the store and back around, unreachable over your head. A toddler with wings, right? We clipped her back just a bit more the day she was coming home with me since she is always a hambone getting into everything. Yeah she got strong enough that I clipped her back again. She gets about ten inches of lift and can glide clear across the house. She will molt soon and they will grow back in and when she moved in, Jak only had about half her feathers back from her molt and how hard she had been clipped previously left her lacking a ton of confidence so Koi has been teaching Jak to fly.

If it is gentle and gradual clipping then it doesn't have to damage the bird's abilities at all. Jak didn't have that chance. The breeder may be going gentle or a standard full clip and the not knowing until you see and assess the situation does not sit well with anyone.

I am keeping mine mini clipped until next molt. Jak is a year in a few weeks and koi fish is about ready to molt next month