Full flight or not full flight that is the question

Post by **kyria** » Thu Jan 26, 2006 9:58 pm

Ok the issue :-

Kai has pretty much finished his first full moult and has grown back nearly all of his flight feathers. He can fly rather well now but needs a little practice landing, he usually will land grabbing onto the front of his cage, and sometimes misses his stand and lands on the curtains behind.

We are starting to try and teach him to come when called.

Now in all this fun and freedom, I suddenly realised, he is very independant of us now. He still adores me and steps up when asked, he still plays with us, but no longer relies on us to carry him from one place to another and I adore the excitement when he takes off back to his cage and start calling like he is soooo clever, the other birds start calling back to him in all the excitement and I add to it with a "whee woohoooo, you are so clever !" in a high excited voice.

Then I start to wonder, should I clip him again. Well .. now that he is so tame and a part of the furniture here, I did say that once that happened and he grew his feathers back I would re-think the clipping issue. I mainly kept him clipped so we could tame him.

My only real concern is the kids (16, 15 and 11) running in and out the back door and him following one day and taking off :shock:

I would die, I would never stop crying. I would search until I expired from too much searching and no food or drink.

We do have a central door we can keep shut aswell, that leads out to the hallways, so if I can get them to shut that behind them each time, that could ensure his safety.. but .. what if they forget.

Oh !!!! I don't know. I love that kai if full flight, it really suits him and he loves it too !! of course. I love my growing boy having his independance like that.

Please HELP ! with suggestions. Just so I know I have covered all the pro's and con's

Thanks in advance everyone.. luv ya all !

Cheers!

Neokireina · Post by **Neokireina** » Thu Jan 26, 2006 10:39 pm

Ok the main issue here is your kids. I'm sure if you are firm with them they will understand and once they get into a routine they should automatically close the door behind them.

It would be better if you kept the bird in a specific room not ALL over the house. And Always let birdie out supervised. So if they forget to close the door you can close it. Or yell at them DOOR when they go out.

I ensure the screen doors are locked at all times so when you go to leave and find it locked you are reminded to secure the birds.
Curtains or the like over exits the bird my accidently try to fly out of. Windows and mirrors in the bird area are covered at all times (curtains at the least). Glass doors are not used. Ceiling fans arent used. Toilet seat is down and covered. Window mesh and screen door mesh is inspected regularly for holes. Doors are wedged open in case the wind or person closes them on said bird. Always check for birds landing on top of a door you are closing.

(Has happened once, a door i thought I closed behind me didnt latch and the wind blew it open long enough for frog to put his head in and then it tried to close, I almost died.. well froggy almost died)

Other downfalls of having a flighted bird is the chewing they can do in non bird assigned areas and also pooping in said non bird assigned areas.

It's so much easier having a clipped bird. But I'm not going to clip them just because it's convienient for me. I do my best to ensure happy and safe birds. I would clip for training and safety reasons if you live in a house where you are not able to have a flighted bird.

Mazziemom · Post by **Mazziemom** » Thu Jan 26, 2006 10:55 pm

Its REALLY hard having flighted birds and kids. I have 3 boys ages 16, 15, and 11.... argh.

Because of them Buddy only gets to fly during school hours (when I can lock the doors) or in my room.

If your willing to figure out a plan like that, it could work. I'm just unwilling to take a chance

Athena

Post by **kyria** » Fri Jan 27, 2006 2:38 am

So I would have to confine him to rooms and school hours .. and I was just outside playing on the grass with jordan.. she was hopping around chewing on everything, I couldn't do that with kai anymore and getting flight suit or the likes on him would be impossible.. oh !

sigh! I think I might have to clip him again .. huh ! :cry:

Bryan · Post by **Bryan** » Fri Jan 27, 2006 3:43 am

Chooky could fly at first; it was great so I let him fly for a while. This gave him the opportunity to learn how to fly and land. What I suggest is leave it for a while, let him fly but only for about month or so then clip him. And if you want every molt when his flight feathers come back do the same thing and he will be able to fly once a year which is better then nothing. :wink:

Post by **kyria** » Fri Jan 27, 2006 4:58 am

that sounds like it could be a very good idea Bryan. Thanks for your suggestion. Kai was purchased from the breeders and was an aviary bird, that had been hand raised, but let into the aviary and was full flighted when I purchased him at 11 months .. so he already knows about flight from that. This is his second exprience.. So I think you have suggested something very good

ty

Mikaela · Post by **Mikaela** » Fri Jan 27, 2006 5:13 am

Because of factors outside of an owners control:

Pro-clip

Neokireina · Post by **Neokireina** » Fri Jan 27, 2006 5:23 am

After a lot of thought as I am pro flight. Do whats best for your situation. Clip if you need to.

I can keep my birds flighted as I dont have kids. Do whatever you can to accomodate the bird to the best of your ability. Thats all we can do for them.

I would love to build a house that could comfortably house my birds. Tiled floors so they are easy to clean, No plaster they can chew, Lots of room and toys. Ducted Air Con and so on. A Window that opens into an outdoor aviary.

Maybe one day.
But I cant do that, So I do the best I can.

Mikaela · Post by **Mikaela** » Fri Jan 27, 2006 5:25 am

lol

Amen

Ok, look at it from my point of view...

Here in america we have public service announcements. Well, one of them says "lock the door when you leave, brush your teeth, comb your hair, tie your shoes" yet the little boy continues NOT to do those things.

Then at the end you see the little boy setting on a brick wall swinging his untyed shoes back and forth on his feet doing NONE of the things his parents said to do and the message reads...

How many times have you had to tell your kids something only once? Not to smoke isnt any different.

It is a stop smoking commercial but applies here wonderfully. I have 4 kids. I would have to be on crack to have a flighted bird.

KIDS DONT PAY ATTENTION... even the best of them. It isnt that they dont listen... it is that they DONT HEAR.

Not worth the risk. And it is a huge one.

Also, windows, glass and doors is a big deal.

Here is my bedroom window (all the bedrooms have the same window). The paint looks weird because it was still wet in some places. All the same now.

The door out to the pool/lania and waterway

Broke birdie neck waiting to happen. :cry:

Then the front door is a whole new issue. It is a double door. Please excuse my 5 yr old 'holding himself'. We had to cut trick-or-treat short because he 'didnt haaaaaave to gooooo now Kaaaaela, COME ON!' hehe

Of course we only open on side at a time unless we are getting light in

Post by **kyria** » Fri Jan 27, 2006 7:05 am

ty everyone *kisses*