Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!cs.utexas.edu!wuarchive!dinorah.wustl.edu!mary
From: mary@dinorah.wustl.edu (Mary E. Leibach)
Newsgroups: rec.birds
Subject: Re: Clipping wings
Message-ID: <1990Jul30.174540.13335@dinorah.wustl.edu>
Date: 30 Jul 90 17:45:40 GMT
References: <936.26b173bd@desire.wright.edu>
Organization: Computerized Medical Systems
Lines: 36

In article <936.26b173bd@desire.wright.edu>, sbishop@desire.wright.edu writes:
> 
> I was told that clipping just one wing is better than clipping both.  With both
> wings clipped they can still glide but one wing throws them badly off balance
> and they have more trouble flying.

It throws them so badly off balance that they can't control their
flight.  Avian vets, particularly in Bird Talk, recommend clipping
both wings evenly.  And don't clip them too short, or they will not be
able to glide, and the feathers will not provide adequate support for
new feathers, possibly resulting in broken blood feathers.  

I've posted my reasons for detesting wing clips here before, so I will
not bore the net repeating myself.  However, this weekend I had
another occasion to be thankful Cally (the Precocious Cockatiel (tm))
wasn't clipped.  She was climbing on her new play gym, misjudged a
beak hold, and fell.  Her wings saved her from a nasty fall and
potential injury.  

If you HAVE to clip 'em, clip 'em right.  Otherwise, don't.  That's my
advice.  (And get an avian vet to do it.  Anything less, and you might
have as much cockatiel blood as I had to clean up.  I hope you never
do!)

	-Mary, 
		and Cally the Precocious Cockatiel(tm), 
		and Vila the Cudly Conure(tm),
		and Blake the Beautiful Budgie(tm),
		and Dayna and Del, the Fertile Finchies(tm),

	and introducing Blake's Babies(tm)!

	 Better known as      Blake's Birds(tm)!
	
	 Dedicated to the memory of the British SF show Blake's 7, and
	 the liberty and rights of pet birds!