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Post by bluchook on Mar 8, 2013 18:57:48 GMT 10
I got my first ringneck around mid-December 2012 and he was 8 weeks old. His one wing was clipped really short and hasn't seemed to have grown much at all in the time I've had him. I dont hae any experience with wing clipping but it looked extremely hacked to me. It just didnt look right. I have a suspicion it was clipped before he learnt to fly. I've attached a pic of the wing as it is today but will attempt to get a pic of them both for comparison. Could it have been so badly hacked that it will never grow back properly and will he ever learn to fly or is it too late? Attachments:
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Post by avinet on Mar 8, 2013 20:33:46 GMT 10
It really annoys me to see wings hacked like this - when we had our shop, if someone brought in a baby bird to sell to us and it had a wing badly hacked we would refuse to buy it. It will grow back but not until he moults those cut feathers so that new ones can grow in. That won't happen until later in the year - late spring or early summer. At that time he will learn to fly, but often their skills are not as good - or take a while to develop compared to one that learned to fly at fledging time. I always let my babies fly as long as possible before clipping - two weeks minimum The two ringneck babies I currently have were only recently clipped after flying for some 3 to 4 weeks, and that only because they decided that flying around was much more fun than going back into their cage when fun time was over. I wrote an article about the correct way to clip at scas.org.au/html/wing_clipping.html, and similar instructions are at www.nicklinwayvet.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/Clipping-wings.pdfBelow is a photo just taken of one of the babies - 6 feathers were cut, equally on both sides. That enable him to fly gradually downwards, even level with effort, but not take off upwards. cheers Mike  |
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Post by bluchook on Mar 8, 2013 21:47:40 GMT 10
Thanks so much for the photo Mike, it gives a really clear example of how they should look. Mine looked nothing like that when I got him. I'm glad he found a home with me to be honest. Maybe when his wing eventually grows back we could pay you a visit so you can show my how it's done properly how to hold him.
Beautiful baby by the way, just gorgeous!
Ruth
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Post by avinet on Mar 8, 2013 22:04:02 GMT 10
You are welcome to bring him down anytime Ruth, I am happy to help with any clipping that is needed, or any other issues.
cheers,
Mike
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Post by bluchook on Mar 9, 2013 6:34:04 GMT 10
Mike, do you think he needs his other good wing clipped now properly or can it wait until after his next moult and do them both?
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Post by avinet on Mar 9, 2013 21:58:17 GMT 10
The problem with a one wing hack clip is that the bird is badly off-balance and in danger of hurting itself if it attempts to fly or accidentally loses it's balance and falls. Vets see a steady stream of injuries from such single wing clips and why both wings should be clipped equally so that the bird flies to the ground and not falls to the ground.
It may be that a trim of some of the feathers on the second wing will help him to be more balanced but I can't say without seeing him and seeing how he handles attempting to fly.
You are welcome to bring him down for me to see and if possible improve his clip. Give me a call and we can see if there is a time that can be organised. However I will be away from the 17th to the 29th visiting Canberra so it would have to be either before or after those dates.
cheers,
Mike
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Post by petermoris on Apr 22, 2013 19:10:04 GMT 10
Definitely it needs a clipping  but sill I am not sure why the wings get hacked is there any specific reason to why this occurs ? |
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Post by avinet on Apr 23, 2013 11:06:35 GMT 10
Definitely it needs a clipping but sill I am not sure why the wings get hacked is there any specific reason to why this occurs ? Ignorance on the part of the breeder who did the hacking before Ruth bought the bird. I might add that quite a lot of breeders, as well as some pet shops, have absolutely no idea how to clip a bird's wings. Ruth bought the bird to see me a week or so ago and the bird is a lovely little ringneck, very good nature, but the wing cut meant that any time it tried to fly it landed in a heap and in danger of serious damage. The wing was so badly hacked that any shorter would have meant the tip of it's wing would have been cut off - effectively pinioning it for life. As it is, when it moults in the spring the wing will return to normal, and if needed a proper clip can be done. I did a very light clip to the good wing, so that the bird would land with some control, still not great but at least better, and with less chance of doing itself harm. cheers, Mike |
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Post by bluchook on Apr 28, 2013 19:52:00 GMT 10
Even the light clip has worked wonders. While he still isn't as graceful as some, there has been a huge improvement when he tries to fly. Thanks so much Mike!
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Post by avinet on Apr 28, 2013 21:06:11 GMT 10
Glad to hear it has helped Ruth.
Trying to repair such a bad clip is always a bit of a guess, and it takes a few days for the bird to adjust his balance. Sounds like he will be OK until his moult towards the end of the year.
cheers,
Mike
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but sill I am not sure why the wings get hacked is there any specific reason to why this occurs ?