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Often when we decide to join the “bird world”, we come up against so many different people saying you should do this or you should not do this. However, I often find that owning birds is just like anything else in life on this planet. There are no hard fast rules. What works in this house can’t necessarily work for the people next door. One of these issues is the decision to clip their wings or not. Now I am not going to get into that debate here, but as a breeder, there is a whole new ‘debate’. Should the babies be allowed to even learn how to fly if they are going to a home that they will be clipped and never allowed to fly again, or should you clip the babies so that they don’t ever “miss” something once it is taken away.
Sometimes in life, we simply have to go with our gut, or heart. Who cares that there are a thousand “professionals” on each side saying that this is the thing to do. When it comes right down to it, you just have to go with your instinct and do your best to deal with whatever responsibilities or consequences that go along with your decision.
I chose that my babies should fly. I wholeheartedly believe that my job as a breeder is to raise a BIRD. Therefore, as a breeder, I raise my babies and allow them to do what they were created to do. I feed them and guide them to cohabitate inside a home with humans, but I also allow them to fully grow and mature knowing that they are different than these other creatures that they have to reside with.
When it comes right down to it, it is the thrill I get; when I come home from work, open their cage door wide and they come zipping out and do laps around the house for a solid 20-40 minutes. I simply sit or lie on the floor and watch them. They dip, swoop, and swerve. They do funny acrobatics in mid air even though there is no obstacle in their path. They screech with sheer joy just like a kid running in a park. It is the highlight of my day to just simply watch them fly.
I fully accept that their new owners will want them clipped, but for the time they are with me, I thoroughly enjoy their flying skills. I am overjoyed every time one comes in to land oh so softly on my chest or shoulder. I die of laughter when they decide to use my hair as a bungee. I feel such pride when I join in their fun. They try to land on me and I play keep away from them by dodging left and right or crouching to the floor. They have such control that they almost seem to hover over me waiting for me to stand still for them to land. Or they even dodge with me, almost like a dance, they can easily follow my every move. I absolutely to toss them to fly to their cage and they just boomerang right back to me. This then entices me to wrestle and play with them some more. These babies can actually make me forget about the troubles of my day when we play the boomerang game. It is so funny how I can toss them in the air on their backs or backwards or whatever, and they easily without effort right themselves and come flying right back at me. Nothing fazes them when they know they have the ability to fly.
I have been around birds for many many years, I have done a ton of research, and I have made many necessary changes in my lifestyle and my home to allow for flight of my birds. Anyone considering this issue should do the research and make a FULLY INFORMED decision. If you choose to clip - so be it as long as it is not blind because "so and so said so".....make sure you understand the reprecussions of such a decision. The same goes if you choose to allow your birds to fly.
Some interesting reading to help your decision:
Proper wing clipping
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