Cockatiel Clipping

There is a lot of controversy in the bird world about whether people should clip their birds' wings.  Some people say that birds shouldn't be restricted, that they should be allowed to fly free.  Others clip their birds so that the birds can't fly off and get into trouble.

We clip Conner but leave Audrey unclipped.

Audrey is unclipped because he can't fly.  I want to keep Conner unclipped, but the house is full of windows and Conner flies into them.  Someday I want us to have a place where Conner can have his own room for flying.

Some tips for clipping:

• start with the primary wing feathers - those are the top feathers
• on cockatiels, it's only necessary to cut one or two inches
• don't ever get close to the skin!  You can permanently damage a bird if you get too close.
• give your bird extra attention after the clipping.  It's a very demeaning process and their egos get hurt.