Clipping birds' wings

Clipping a bird's wings the first time is not easy. It is easy to injure the bird or even cause it to bleed to death. The first time I strongly suggest you professionally have the wings clipped and watch the procedure closely. Each species of bird’s wings are clipped differently.

Larger birds such as Amazons and Macaws need fewer primary feathers cut. Once the feathers are cut it is rare that they can fly, only glide down from where they are perched. Smaller birds such as Cockatiels are much more difficult to keep from flying and will need to have the majority of his primary feathers clipped. Even then the Cockatiel is capable of flight. He won’t be able to gain altitude but he can fly! Some people will advise you to cut the feathers of only one wing. This is dangerous advice. Both sides need to be trimmed so the bird is balanced. If he falls, or tries to fly off his perch, he needs to be able to glide down balanced, to prevent injury.

The tools you use need to be prepared and arranged before you begin. You will need a pair of sharp scissors that have blunt ends. It is so easy to accidentally stab the bird, your assistant or yourself. You will also need a pair of needle nose pliers, a few paper towels, and a pair of toenail clippers. Make sure the equipment you are using is clean. Have a towel to help hold the bird. You must restrict the bird so that he does not get injured. You or your assistant could be bitten. Birds, especially large birds, can bite and bite hard. Give a Macaw a chicken bone to chew on if you don't believe me. They can take off a finger.

You will need a cauterizing powder on hand to control any bleeding. One good cauterizing powder is Kwik Stop. If you have an emergency bleed, flour or cornstarch can be used to control bleeding but is not as effective as Kwik Stop.

When working on your bird always act calmly, speak to him calmly and move slowly. The towel is to restrain him so that you can work on one wing at a time. Gently wrap the towel around him so that the opening is near the wing that you are currently trimming. Keep his face exposed so that he doesn't panic or smother. Remember the calmness that you employ now will determine your success at working on your bird later. Don't let him panic. Talk to him throughout the procedure in a calm voice.

The person holding the bird in the towel should firmly hold him behind the head and with the other hand, hold the bird’s lower body. The person cutting will gently stretch out the wing. First examine the wing carefully for new growth feathers. Feathers, once they are fully-grown are dead, like hair and can be safely cut with no pain or bleeding. New growth feathers contain blood. These new feathers are referred to as blood feathers. Don't cut these blood feathers. The blood feathers, once cut will act like a straw and siphon the blood out of the bird‘s body. Bird's bodies have little blood, so a bird can't afford to lose much blood. If you do accidentally cut a blood feather or if he breaks a blood feather accidentally you must act immediately. Use the needle nose that you prepared before hand and pull the entire shaft of the blood feather, from the feather follicle. Pull the feather straight out. Immediately apply pressure with the paper towel. If the bleeding isn't controlled with direct pressure get your bird to an avian vet immediately. If you’re afraid to pull out the blood feather you shouldn't be trimming the bird’s wings. Please leave it to a professional. It MUST be pulled out immediately.

The feathers that you are trimming are the outside feathers or primary feathers. In a small bird you will want to trim most of the primary feathers. In a large bird five to nine feathers is sufficient. Now examine your bird carefully. Make sure you don‘t see any blood.

Since you have the bird confined, it's a good time to trim his nails also. Use a good strong pair of nail clippers. Examine the nails carefully, looking to see where the vein ends in the toenail. Clip above the vein. Do not clip anything off except for the tip. If you do have some bleeding control it with Kwik Stop. Clip a little, frequently. The vein will eventually recede with each toenail clipping.

When you’re done with the wing trimming and nail clipping, before you let the bird loose, talk to him and reassure him in a very loving voice. Let him go free and give him his favorite treat. Spend some quality time with him and reassure him that you love him. If it is the first wing clipping watch him closely; he doesn't know he can't fly.

Wings will grow back. Keep an eye out on the wing growth and trim them again before he can take flight. Many people lose their birds when the wings grow back. They are unaware that the wings have grown back.

Clipping a bird's wings has one other advantage. You can bond with him much more quickly. Training the bird becomes much easier. If you are careful, trimming a bird's wings has nothing but advantages and can alleviate much heartache.