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Free Flight.. is it frowned upon?

Latency

Sprinting down the street
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Ashley
So I did a brief search of "Free Flight" on this forum and I was wondering if it's frowned upon here?
I understand the risks, and many people don't think the risks are worth it, but per se if I were to have a great free flying session and wanted to post about it, would I just get nothing but rants about how unsafe it is and how I'm an awful parront for doing so?
I don't currently free fly my birds as the cold isn't really gone yet, but I was just wondering. I'm sure you guys know I'm new and I don't want to start off by stepping on any toes(or prompting other people to step on mine!)
I feel like it's similar to the clipped/unclipped wings controversy.. everybody has their reasons but there's always people who will feel that their 'opinion' is right, no matter what. Even though the whole point of an opinion is that there is no right or wrong..
Not trying to stir up any trouble, I just was curious, I suppose.
 

Kaylea

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We keep our blue n gold in a harness...I wish she could free fly but I couldn't live with my self if anything ever happened to her....we are very careful when she's out
 

Wayne361

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People who get their hair up on others opinions should be dimissed. That being said...its your bird....do what you feel is right granted you know the potential risks.
I am strongly against clipping, and I have previously stated why...but its an owners choice (even if not in bird's best interest). I am also very pro-training for the benefits it derives in the bonding relationship and overall well-being of bird. I have had others say training doesnt accomplish anything, their bird doesnt like to be trained, or say they want their birds to just be birds (whatever that means). Again its just an opinion....we all have them. If someone beats you up over an opinion it states more about the person than you. Debate? Absolutely....not to be confused with attacking someone over their opinions.
Post away and welcome to the forum.

Wayne
 

Hankmacaw

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Some members will be against free flight, some will be in favor and interested in any information they can get. It seems that most who are against free flight have that attitude due to fear.

Personally, I can't think of a greater gift one can give their bird than the ability to fly free. Biro's birds have the best of both worlds. They get to fly and play, then come home to warm shelter, excellent health care and great food and human slaves.

My two both had chronic health issues (respiratory and cardiac), so free flight was not possible, but I always wanted them to.
 

GlassOnion

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I LOVE the idea of free flight, and will most definitely train a bird to do it in my lifetime. :) In the meantime, I am working towards flying Ruby outdoors with the aviator flight line. If you follow Birdtricks on Facebook, they regularly post gorgeous photos of their entire flock including a toucan free flying outdoors. BirdTricks.com - Dalton Gardens, ID - Pet Service | Facebook
 

GlassOnion

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As a matter of fact, the next parrot I acquire in my lifetime (won't be for many years) will be planned and trained specifically for outdoor free flight. No more indoor-only birds after my current flock.
 

Latency

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Thanks for the feedback!
GlassOnion: That's awesome! I just went and liked their page. :)
I've taken my conures(white eared and GCC) outside without harnesses once. My white-eared won't wear one, and my GCC never fledged properly so he's still learning how to fly.
I only brought the GCC with us to have that flock feeling. Birds like to be with their flock, so I will never take any one of my birds alone, and never without me AND my boyfriend. We are a flock, we try new things together. :)
She did really well. We just walked around my apartment complex (Away from roads, on a day when there was NO wind, only mild gusts once every so often. And in open areas, so we don't turn a corner and see a dog!)
We did back and forth flying with her a couple times before going in for the evening. Mostly she follows whoever Loki(the GCC) is perched on, so she can be with her flock.
Even when spooked by the sound of a slamming car door she went from me straight to my boyfriend(who had Loki on his shoulder.) so she sees us as a safe zone, rather than flying away, which is nice.
We haven't done it again, but after some more extensive recall training and once the weather gets nicer I'd really like to. :)
I think that our bond is what makes it work for us; our flock dynamic is very tightly woven. Kiwi(the white eared) will protect me from strangers if I don't like them, but will go to anybody I ask her to step up on. She reads my moods and follows me everywhere. Loki is closely bonded to Kiwi, so of course he isn't going anywhere without her. Even outside, if I walked too far away(6-7 feet) she'd start flock calling for me to come back. I think she's more worried that I'LL get lost or run away! Hah.
 

Macawnutz

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I have to agree with Hankmacaw, it's fear that scares people. It's scares the heck out of me. :D If it were me I would post my wonderful stories but understand that many will remind you to be careful. Understand that the people that have concerns for your bird are only people caring about your birds safety, try not to see them as negative comments.

Gosh I would love to be brave enough to do it..... All my birds are taught recall very well but I don't dare test it to that extent.

sgreeting_welcome_sign_general_100-109.gif
 

CheekyBeaks

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I'm not really sure of the general opinion here, personally I'm anti-wing clipping unless it is a last resort. As for free flying outdoors I'm not at all keen on it there are just so many things that can and DO go wrong and I really have to question are all the risks worth it? I think if the environment is ideal and ALOT of training (with 100%recall) has gone into the bird than it can be an option.

Another thought to consider is should birds that are not native to the area be free flighted? If something goes wrong, the bird spooks and flys off and cannot be recovered it at least has the chance to join a flock of its own kind and live out its life, foreign birds have no option to this and will most likely be attacked and killed by other species of birds.

People who also live in areas with hawks, eagles etc... Present in the environment need to be careful that their birds are not caught in flight. I met a lady who had her lorikeet taken from her shoulder outside by a hawk, it was a hard way to learn how dangerous it is outdoors for our pet birds.
 

yann

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free flying as in?? the kind where you launch your fids in the air and let them do a few laps? or just in general letting them fly unharnessed? :)

my conures get to fly around anywhere they want. they usually stick around the yard, occasionally they go to a tree outside or pay the neighbour a visit! they're always under close supervision though! but where i am the wind isnt that strong and there're very few raptors so the risk isnt as great(not saying there isnt any risk)
 

Aequa

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I think a lot of the time people 'rant' they are actually desperately trying to warn you of the risks. No one wants you to lose your bird ): free-flying is extremely dangerous and takes years upon years to train properly - even still there are substantial risks. Others think it slightly cruel to the bird. If a pet bird flies away, chances are, he will die. He will either be hit by a car, caught by a raptor, starve, freeze, dehydrate or any number of things. To go through that would be awful. By free flying, you are only risking the loss of a pet - they are involuntarily risking their lives and severe pain. It's nice to fly but birds don't understand what could happen. Pro free-fliers like the freedom and exercise a bird gets from it, often free-fliers can be a touch over confident which is where the problems arise. They fly in less than ideal conditions, the birds escape, free-fliers get a bad reputation. There are some responsible free-fliers but some people can still argue they are cruel due to the risks to the bird. The person may accept they may lose the bird, but the bird never understands.
Clipping is the same, pros and cons on both on sides and some people prefer one side of cons or pros over the other.

I find non-clippers more vocal than clippers - possibly as non-clippers like to call it 'cruel' but both sides are out there. Free flight rather seems to be a more evenly argued issue. Many passionately argue for free flight. Personally, I prefer full flights, clipped only as a last resort. And I find free-flight a touch cruel due to the massive risks to the bird. This said, I respect each person's decisions, I think more people should, people from different sides of the arguments tend to alienate each other. Many people are very sure and concrete on their personal opinion, perhaps criticize a touch too much :unsure1: but I think they mean well. Everyone is just trying to make life better for our birds. We are still getting to know the avian species as a domestic pet. Everything is still very opinion based in our community :) nothing is concrete so everyone has their own standards of care! Even things like cages, whether to use grates, whether a cage should be longer or taller, the minimum size, mixing species in the cage, all sorts!
 

di_dee1

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I think it is up to the individual. If they wish to risk losing their birds then take the risk, hopefully it won't happen, but it can.
 

petiteoiseau

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I adore the idea of free flight for my birds but I love them too much to risk it. It's not only predators, it's also that one never knows when a bird is going to take it into its head to just keep on flying. It's like people who take their dogs out without a leash, it might work 90% of the time but I would not risk been in the 10% which doesn't...

Now, what I would love to see (and would gladly pay to become a member!) is an outdoor flight facility for birds with a GIGANTIC cage so they can enjoy their flight under the sun without any risks. There was a bird club in Manhattan that used to rent an empty warehouse once a month so the members could fly their birds but it closed down.
 

Wayne361

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I think the problem also arises when people dont understand how to properly train for freeflight. People have to realize that even though "Binky" recalls 100 percent of the time indoors doesnt mean that Binky is socialized/desensitized to the sights, sounds, things, that outdoor situations present and wont get spooked and fly away. There are also many other factors to take into consideration. If bird is PROPERLY trained for free flight, and owner/trainer is knowledgable enough, the risks are low. If bird isnt properly trained for outdoor freeflight, thats when problems arise the majority of the time. Over confident owners with too little knowledge is the downfall and controversy of freeflight.

Wayne
 

Lyzzi

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I've done free-flight before; it's no less scary even when you know your bird has good recall, and will come back. There are so many outside variables; like traffic/bystanders, dogs, hawks, and weather. If a parrot spooks during the routine, there's no telling exactly what they will do and if they'll stick to target and come back to you. That's the risk you're taking.
 

cosmolove

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I personally am against free flight. There's just so much that could go wrong so quickly and I would hate myself if something happened to one of my babies. I do plan on building a big outdoor aviary once we buy a house so then my guys can fly outside but I'm just too much of a worry wart for something to happen.
 

macawpower58

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We've had a free flight member before, sadly she got much grief and decided to leave.

I think it's one of the most valuable gifts we could give our parrots, but only if we learn, train, and practice avian safety.

Even after you've done all those things, most parrot owners still can't accept it. I also believe you must have faced that fact that your bird is risking life and limb, and it's risk you've decided is worth it. Many members here (and other forums) just won't agree with you.

There are some strong believers in it here, so you'll have some behind you, but the majority won't be.

If you can shrug off the dissenters....then please do post your photos and tell your stories.
 

Latency

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Thank you for all your input and support!(Whether it was showing concern or encouraging me to share free flight stories.)
I guess I've just always been a 'risk taker'. Yes, we have raptors here in Texas, but in my immediate area(a somewhat new city, still growing and not much wooded area. More water fowl since we're almost surrounded by lakes.) they are few and far between. Mostly you'll see buzzards or scavenging birds, a few miles out toward the country you'll see hawks, but not in my immediate area.
If we decide to free fly again I'll definitely take pictures and share them. :)
I'm not very argumentative, so it's more likely I'll either ignore negative comments or let somebody know they hurt my feelings or I feel like they're attacking me personally than argue back or be passive aggressive about it.
If anybody else here ever does any sort of free flying, if I see your thread about it, you can expect positive feedback from me. :)
(And, like everybody else, I love seeing pictures of everyone's feathered babies!)
 

Wayne361

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Latency I'm interested in following your progress. I have your back. hahahaha As for "argumentative"...neither am I BUT I love a good debate. If any negative follows your comments just look at it like an opportunity to debate :) Honing your debating skills is the way to look at it IMO.

Again welcome and pls keep us up to date.

Wayne
 
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