Wing Clipping While Nesting??

So my frustration level with Peaches has just gone straight thru the roof!! As you all know she is nesting (she laid 5 eggs, which I have replaced with dummy eggs) And I totally understand the hormone/defend the nest thing, but OMG!!
SHE IS DOWNRIGHT VICIOUS!!!

I like to allow them free flight time at least once a day and while TomTom has been getting more accustomed to us (flying to us and perching on us) Peaches rarely leaves the cage. Again, very understandable. BUT I AM UNABLE TO WALK BY THE CAGE WITH THE DOOR OPEN! She literally attacks me... even if I am nearby (5-6 feet or so) She goes for any bare skin and won't let go. I have now been bitten on my breasts a few times just for wearing a scoop neck top, plus my hands, arms and once nearly got my face. Once she's out and I have managed to get her off my "offending body part" she swoops in and attaches to a new part and does this over and over til I literally throw her off me. I know that is not a great answer to stopping the attack, but WTF!! O.O

So, my plan was to complete the nesting in another couple weeks, remove the nestbox and relocate them to a different cage (found a beauty online!) after I clip their wings to try and make it easier for training.

Now I am wondering everyones stance on clipping their wings while she is nesting. Will this allow them a few weeks adjustment before I shake up their world? I have a local breeder that has offered to clip them for me and I will contact her accordingly to have it done, but I want to weigh in on this before doing so.

I appreciate any and all advice, tips and personal experiences as I am sooooo done with my hen!!!

Yes they are. And wing clipping will help IF you can get the bird safely.

But to put things in their proper perspective: Try it with a dominant male greenwing guarding the nest some time!!! Time to pull the babies... yikes!!!

Yeah, macaw breeders earn their money!

Personally, I'd rather deal with macaws than lovebirds. I've never had much luck with lovebirds...

Since Peaches is in an otherwise safe environment, I would clip her for my own safety.....that is of course, unless you enjoy being/playing chopped liver.....

Hello, TweeterKat. I'm just going to start by issuing our usual request on any thread that addresses the issue of clipping: Please everyone keep it civil.

Clipping is both a personal choice and a proven hot topic amongst parrot owners. So please either respond calmly and respectfully, or not at all. (This is not directed at any of the responses thus far. Just a friendly, preemptive reminder.)

That said, though I personally prefer to keep my birds flighted, I've always said that I would make an exception for safety's sake.

So if Peaches were my bird, and she was continually making strafing attack runs at me, I would not rule out a light clip to help get the situation back under control. Flight feathers will grow back, and she is already fledged, after all.

Anansi said:

Hello, TweeterKat. I'm just going to start by issuing our usual request on any thread that addresses the issue of clipping: Please everyone keep it civil.

Clipping is both a personal choice and a proven hot topic amongst parrot owners. So please either respond calmly and respectfully, or not at all. (This is not directed at any of the responses thus far. Just a friendly, preemptive reminder.)

That said, though I personally prefer to keep my birds flighted, I've always said that I would make an exception for safety's sake.

So if Peaches were my bird, and she was continually making strafing attack runs at me, I would not rule out a light clip to help get the situation back under control. Flight feathers will grow back, and she is already fledged, after all.

Click to expand...

Thanks for the reminder! I do understand that wing clipping is to the birdie community as the declaw debate relates to the kitty community - VERY PERSONAL AND COMPLICATED!!!!

I am only considering this as a way to get things under control. My birds came to me fully flighted, independant and essentially wild. I made a few mistakes in the beginning and as a result her hormones turned her into this demon bird! LOL! We were starting to make progress for a week or so - she would land on us and not attack fingers/arms- but then the hormones kicked in and the rest is history... all I can do is move forward and hopefully correct what I did and try to prevent this again!

I want to be clear that once they are a little more hand tame and less wild I would very much like to have them fully feathered again. Part of the joy in having them is having them fly around and breathe a little life and personality into my home!

Thanks everyone for the support! (and I agree that the idea of a macaw doing this definitely puts this into a SIZABLE perspective! HAHAHA!!)

I would wait until she's done with her nesting before clipping. My birds are very tame and flighted however when they have a clutch to protect they are very protective and will not hesitate biting fiercely. It is always so amazing to me how my sweet angel hen Whom I can kiss all over can become so aggressive towards me when nesting! That is pure instinct and I don't take it personal.
Your hen is nesting and not very tame to start with so I can only imagine! Just let the male out if there's no problem with him, but keep the hen inside the cage. While sitting on eggs they usually only leave their clutch to poop and eat quickly then go back to sit . Cover your hand and arm with a towel when servicing the cage and otherwise just stay away.

Echo said:

I would wait until she's done with her nesting before clipping. My birds are very tame and flighted however when they have a clutch to protect they are very protective and will not hesitate biting fiercely. It is always so amazing to me how my sweet angel hen Whom I can kiss all over can become so aggressive towards me when nesting! That is pure instinct and I don't take it personal.
Your hen is nesting and not very tame to start with so I can only imagine! Just let the male out if there's no problem with him, but keep the hen inside the cage. While sitting on eggs they usually only leave their clutch to poop and eat quickly then go back to sit . Cover your hand and arm with a towel when servicing the cage and otherwise just stay away.

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Good points, Echo. And excellent alternative ideas.

Echo said:

I would wait until she's done with her nesting before clipping. My birds are very tame and flighted however when they have a clutch to protect they are very protective and will not hesitate biting fiercely. It is always so amazing to me how my sweet angel hen Whom I can kiss all over can become so aggressive towards me when nesting! That is pure instinct and I don't take it personal.
Your hen is nesting and not very tame to start with so I can only imagine! Just let the male out if there's no problem with him, but keep the hen inside the cage. While sitting on eggs they usually only leave their clutch to poop and eat quickly then go back to sit . Cover your hand and arm with a towel when servicing the cage and otherwise just stay away.

Click to expand...

Thanks Everyone! It was good for me to vent abit too! I contacted my local breeder and she agreed it would be best to wait until the nesting time is over in a few weeks before she will clip their wings. I am going to heed this advice and wait. As for the free flight time, she is also in agreeance that letting TomTom out and leaving Peaches confined is a good option for right now - as long as she accepts him back into the cage - she said to observe her behaviour in regards to this, but doesn't anticipate a problem.

And for the record I have not one, but TWO oven mitts for doing anything with the cage!! LOL!