How long will it take him to fly?

[bob1]

Chico has 1 flight feather on either wing and he still can't fly he falls to the ground slower and more gently, and jumps a little farther, but no flight? I no he is a baby but I would think he could fly a short distance. I am not sure I want him to fly because I go outside a lot (with Chico) and I don't want to have to buy a harness. I just think its good for him to be able to float to the ground instead of hurtling but if at some point he gets spooked and flies aways I would never forgive myself. So my question is when should I clip his flight feathers?

P.S. I no he has to practice to fly but I thought natural instincts would take over so if he was falling he could swoop down to the ground like a wild bird.

 

[MikeyTN]

It would be wise for you to purchase a harness! Depending on how you have him reclipped, certain clips allows them to glide, they can take off with ease. You'd be surprised to see them take off with a gust of wind. But there's clips that don't allow them to fly but then your right back to where you started of wanting them to glide instead of fall. So a harness is advised!

Clipping should be done after its no longer a blood feather!

 

[KeroRocks]

I had a clipped bird who could totally fly. Even with all her flights clipped. I couldn't imagine taking her outside. I see so many lost bird ads on craigslist because a clipped bird flew away.

A bird should never be taken outside without a harness or a cage.

I let my birds flights grow in totally. I love watching her fly.

 

[MonicaMc]

It may require 2-3 feathers minimum grown in on each side to allow a glide... four might be able to fly with.

When I got Jayde, she couldn't fly at all! She had a heavy-ish clip which resulted in her thunking to the ground. She had one flight feather grown out on her right wing, right in the middle. After she had grown out 2 flights on each side, it was more of a glide than a "thunk" to the ground, and at three plus feathers, she started to be able to fly straight, if not down.

She's now lost the majority of her clipped feathers and thus far is able to fly pretty well!

 

[riddick07]

Do you know if the wings were clipped too early? My one green cheek had her wings clipped before she was weaned and her chest muscles were very weak. Resulting in her dropping straight down and bouncing since she landed so hard. Plus, she had no idea how to fly and she didn't seem to realize she had the ability to fly place to place at first. She would lean and bob but the thought to use her wings didn't seem to occur to her. I've had her for a couple years now and last month she finally got the hang of flying around like a pro. She's learned to dodge quite well. We did have to clip her wings periodically, just when she was starting to get a bit more strength, because she went through a hormone stage but thats faded finally... she only has one flight feather missing now and I don't have any plans to clip her since she's not being a problem child any longer.

My other green cheek can fly with only 2 flight feathers on each side or slightly less. But the breeder didn't clip him until after he weaned. Our new cockatoo is flying much better with clipped wings after only a month or so with us. She had obviously been cage bound but it didn't take her long to get strength back.

I think its instinct to try to use there wings when they are very young (though not how to use them) but as they get older the instinct fades a bit. When my baby cockatiels first learned to use there wings I basically dropped them or tossed them towards the couch. (not sure how to phrase that without sounding like I was throwing them around lol) I made sure they watched mom and dad fly around first so they would figure it out by the old monkey see monkey do. They flew like bats. Swerving and dodging and I swear they could go 25 miles an hour or faster. There was a lot of ducking going on during that period even though you knew they were too good at flying to actually hit you.

Clipping for me depends first on how often we open outside doors and such, plus on the bird. We don't open outside doors often and our front door opens to a hallway that has another door to get outside so that wasn't a big worry. Behavior is also a factor...my male green cheek is a flighty freak(mean that the nicest way possible..) so I keep him clipped. My female green cheek obviously isn't clipped at the moment. My cockatiels are annoying when flighted so I keep them clipped though I occasionally let them grow out so they can fly for awhile. Even clipped 2 out 4 fly like they aren't even clipped.(The two I hand raised) The third has a tendency to fly into walls when he has flight feathers so he always stays clipped. The last isn't a good flier but he also hates people in general so he stays clipped most of the time to make him easier to deal with.

So basically after this long post I'm saying it depends on the situation....

 

[Oopisy]

with Sylvarie, he is always on my shoulder and he can fly around the house, when we go out side or foe a drive he just sits on my shoulder and plays with my ear or he eats seeds i put on the dash for him he has flown out the window once, when a raven flew over the truck so now i keep the windows up almost all the way. if you want Chico to fly. you need to really bond but if you harness start using it now cause Sylvarie has already ripped out of two.

 

[MonicaMc]

Riddick, you might be interested in the following article... more specifically about the part where it talks about fledging african greys, page 4, 5th paragraph.


http://www.pamelaclarkonline.com/up...iderations_of_Companion_Parrot_Care_10.06.pdf




Oopisy, you really need to either train Sylvarie to wear a harness, use a carrying cage or teach him recall training, if he doesn't already know it. A bond alone should never be used to keep birds with you when outside.

 

[kiwiS]

Kiwi has about four flight feathers on each wing that grew within a month or two and already she is flying around pretty well. We take her out too, but with a flight suit. We like to run with our dog at the park, so she gets in the mood and likes to fly alongside us, but not for very long as she's not strong enough yet.

Earlier on when her flights were still not grown, a jogger passed us and spooked her and she took off!!- luckily she had her flight suit and leash on. I'd highly recommend harnessing/flightsuiting just in case something like that happens when you're outside!

 

[Oopisy]

Oopisy, you really need to either train Sylvarie to wear a harness, use a carrying cage or teach him recall training, if he doesn't already know it. A bond alone should never be used to keep birds with you when outside.

working on recall training but i am not sure how do do it


lol we have been doing this for a few months now not knowing what is was but he will fly to me from over 30 feet away and up on a table or down to the floor
he even flys into the house on to my wife shoulder from the other side of the house just not mine yet

 

[MonicaMc]

Sounds like you are basically already doing it, but it should be down pat inside the home first, then working outside in a quiet area before taking him anywhere busy.


You may find some good information in the following link about what recall is and how to train it.

Carly Lu?s Flight Blog Recall Training | Carly Lu's Flight Blog

 

[psittac]

Wow this is an incredible thread, so much to learn. I have no idea how you guys even make the first step towards a flighted bird outside, personally i'm terrified of the slightest chance Petrie will fly away. I have brought her outside one time not long after getting her and she was clipped. I thought nothing of it but the huge outdoors with all the UV light spooked her and when she hit the sidewalk she never went outside again, well unless in a cage.

 

[MonicaMc]

Only Oopisy is allowing free-flight here within this thread.... although we do have at least one other member that also allows flight out doors. Neither owner have gone about the process 'correctly', it seems.


I do recommend flight, but do not recommend free flight. Free flight should only be done by someone willing to take the risks and has the dedication to make it work. Novice bird owners usually make the worst free-flight people because they don't do the necessary training required for a *safe* free-flighted bird. Many things can go wrong in trying to train a parrot to be flighted out doors.