Will he ever fly well again?

[Roanoke]

I love the idea of having a fully-flighted bird who will go from room to room as he pleases, and makes his own choices of which station he wants to sit on.
Not only would it be good for Teeko physically, but I believe it would really develop him mentally as well. However, he is not fully feathered and according to his last owner, hasn't been for a year. They got his wings clipped and I quote; "the left wing just didn't grow back". I can't show you a real picture but here's what they look like, as far as I can tell:

Whoever clipped him clearly had no clue what they were doing. I hope they haven't debilitated any other poor birds.
I don't suppose those secondaries will ever grow back in? He's currently getting through a molt but there's no sign of any pinfeathers.
He can fly (I've seen him do laps) but only uses it as a last resort.
The people I got him from would often leave him outside, no aviary, no harness, and they'd never seen him fly over 4 feet.

Please tell me what you think about Teeko's situation, and/or share with me how your birds get around the house. Thank you in advance.

 

[Birdman666]

They should grow back at the next molt, assuming the feather follicles weren't damaged. If they screwed that up, then no.

My sun conure was raised CAGELESS and flighted. He lived out on a playstand for many many years, and I hung boings, and happy huts, in strategic places around the house.

He slept in a happy hut on my nightstand...

 

[veimar]

He cannot fly with that? weird. My gcc has much more feathers clipped (I had to clip him due to an injury), but he still flies like a rocket. There might be something else involved - maybe he is a bit overweight or didn't learn how to fly? These feathers should grow back after a molt as Birdman said, but he still should be able able to fly with the wings pictured.

 

[bonita]

I am no professional but I rescued a GCC and he was sheltered as a baby had his wings cut really hard and I had to teach him to fly. He was one of 7 chicks dumped and never allowed to fly. The owner of the shelter had a bad situation in her defense. He flies well now 2 yrs. later. Bonita

 

[Dinosrawr]

Avery is nearly two years old (only 3 months away), and she is STILL dropping clipped feathers from when I got her at 3 months. Whoever clipped her absolutely butchered her wings, they were cut so incredibly short. And whoever did it seriously damaged her psyche, because she will not fly unless scared. She has almost fully feathered wings and she still has a hard time flying out of her own will. She'll flight recall to me and everything, and can fly around the room with finesse and skill when scared, but unlike Shiko (who flies everywhere to come say hi) she would rather be picked up and moved.

So it could most definitely be a mental rather than physical impediment, which is evident in Avery and why letting babies fledge is so critical to their well being. She thinks she can't fly and acts scared to take off... she'll learn forward, crouch down, and look like she'll take off, but back down out of fear. It's taken a lot of time to build up her confidence, and we're still working on it. It really sounds like he just simply didn't learn how to fly out of desire opposed to flying out of fear.

 

[veimar]

How old is Teeko? Did you try to teach him fly?
I weaned two abandoned crow babies when I was a teen, and actually had to teach them to fly. I did the same thing with my gcc Parry who came to me clipped very short at about 3 mo old. With Parry I went about 3-5 ft from the cage having him in the finger high up, and then shook the finger so he could fly to the cage. I also had him on the table, and a treat on my hand, and let him fly to get the treat. The distances increased gradually, and even before the first molt he could fly pretty well.
So maybe he is just not used to fly? Again, I tell you, with these feathers he should be able to fly fine, he must be afraid or not confident enough.

 

[Roanoke]

Thanks guys. You all give some great advice!
I'm just going to wait it out and see if I can slowly build his confidence without forcing him into anything. Veimar, he's about 2ish.
I'll let you know if his wing grows back in!

(Sorry if this message seems short. It's 1:30 in the morning!)

 

[Jayyj]

Alice had an awful clip when I brought her home, and although most of the clipped feathers dropped in that summer's moult, there were a few that lingered to the following year - I guess they were brand new feathers when clipped. They all came through eventually.

As with Dinosrawr, she's scared of flying, only doing so if something spooks her - otherwise she'll walk or beg to be picked up. I'm working on recall training but it's hard going, and it's taken three months to get her to cover a distance of less than a foot. We keep trying though!

 

[EdwardH]

With the wings clipped as shown in the picture, in flight she would be very unbalanced so if she was clipped before learning how to fly she will not enjoy the feeling at all hence her reluctance to fly. It can take up to two years for the feathers to grow back from a bad clip, sometimes longer. The feathers usually moult one feather off each wing and as a replacement feather grows back, it is supported by the feathers on each side. If the supporting feathers are missing then it can take a few moults until they grow back straight without any kinks in them. As previously stated if the follicles have been cut out then no feathers from that spot so hopefully this is not the case.

 

[veimar]

With the wings clipped as shown in the picture, in flight she would be very unbalanced so if she was clipped before learning how to fly she will not enjoy the feeling at all hence her reluctance to fly. It can take up to two years for the feathers to grow back from a bad clip, sometimes longer. The feathers usually moult one feather off each wing and as a replacement feather grows back, it is supported by the feathers on each side. If the supporting feathers are missing then it can take a few moults until they grow back straight without any kinks in them. As previously stated if the follicles have been cut out then no feathers from that spot so hopefully this is not the case.

yes, yes - you are exactly right! I forgot to mention that. I'm not an expert, but it seems to me that it's even better when feathers are evenly clipped from the both sides than like this.

 

[MikeyTN]

I've actually seen this clip done before. It's not something that I would do but I've seen it done one too many times. He should have them molted out by the next molt as long as they're not badly damaged. IF they were chewed down to the base, then you need to consult a vet to have them plucked. That would be the only way to grow them out.