Clumsy bird broke flight feathers ONLY ON ONE SIDE

[Migi.oso.priti]

Hello, my IRN is rather clumsy and still getting used to my presence (I've had him for about 6 months). Though he's actually letting me pick him up and scratch his neck now sometimes, it's a crapshoot as to whether or not he'll let me, or he'll jump away. Anyway, over time it seems he has broken most of his flight feathers but only on his right side (This is partly due to a botched clipping job from the establishment I purchased him at, won't be going back there), and he is incredibly unbalanced. When he does panic and jump, he immediately goes down which is so dangerous. I hate to clip the flight feathers on his left side because he seems proud of them, but should I bite the bullet and just trim all of them?

 

[TheAlexian]

I'm a pretty cautious person, and I hate to see my pets get hurt because of something I could fix. If he's getting hurt because of the feathers, I would get him clipped by someone who knows what they're doing (do you have an avian vet?). It's not permanent, and it'll give him a chance to get used to longer and longer glides that turn into longer and longer flights as his feathers come back in.

 

[itchyfeet]

Yep, agreed. Ideally by an Avian Vet who can just reassure you that there are no other hidden injuries or issues.
I know what you mean about IRN's and pride and feathers, and you're doing incredible by the sounds of things with his training etc, but in this circumstance, you may find you make a little faster progress through necessity.

 

[ChristaNL]

To go Starwars today: Bring balance to the Force!

It is not pretty, but safer for the bird to have as much lift with the left wing as the right.
That way he can (with more difficulty) fly straight and land safe instead of overbalancing.

It will all go back to the way it was supposed to be with the next molt anyway- so he won't be 'ugly' forever.

 

[EllenD]

Wow, this is "The Week of the One-Sided Wing-Clips"...I've not had this discussion this many times in my entire life...

Yes, you absolutely MUST get both wings clipped to match each other, even at the same length, regardless of how short the one wing is, because what is happening as we speak (in addition to him hurting himself and potentially badly when he wrecks) is that the muscles on one side of his back are becoming atrophied, while the other side is being over-worked/stressed and can actually be permanently damaged, along with his spine curving during this entire time. That's the largest risk in a one-sided wing-clip, the unequal strain on the muscles around their spines actually causes permanent spine curvatures, arthritis, and eventually he will never be able to fly properly again, or even walk properly again. And this can also result in chronic muscular and nerve pain for the rest of his life. Imagine if humans used their arms for ALL of their balance while they walked, sat, laid down, did anything and everything. Then imagine only having one arm, and what that would do to your back/spine...That's what's happening to your bird right now, and it's why breeders and Avian Vets stopped doing one-sided wing clips decades ago...Well, most breeders, the good ones anyway...As we've seen this past week, there are still some breeders who are too stubborn to admit when they're wrong, and in this last case it resulted in a fractured keel-bone and a badly curved spine. So there ya go.

If you are not comfortable clipping your IRN's other wing to MATCH the already clipped/broken-off wing, then yes, please find ONLY A Certified Avian Vet or an Avian Specialist Vet, or an experienced, reputable bird breeder to do it...NO EXOTIC'S VETS or anyone else who isn't specifically trained in treating/breeding/clipping/grooming birds, as they'll only make things worse, potentially much worse. And make sure whomever does it matches both wings to as close to the same length as they possibly can, so that he has equal weight on both sides, and so that they grow-in at the same rates.