# cutting flights?



## bigmalley (Dec 6, 2011)

what is the reason for cutting flights?


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## klondike goldie (Apr 20, 2009)

you cut the flights 9th and 10th about 1 1/2 to 2 inches from the tip, wait 10 days to 2 weeks for them to die then pull them out then let them grow back in. Now the birds have new flights before the races start.


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## MaryOfExeter (Sep 30, 2007)

Most young birds are moulting flights during racing season which can really hurt their performance. Depending on when they were hatched out and how quick the individual birds mature, you may have birds at different stages of the moult when the time comes to race. But those last few flights are very important and you want them there so you can fly the birds. Cutting and pulling the flights in advanced saves the birds from having to moult those feathers as they are already new.


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## bigmalley (Dec 6, 2011)

ok it all makes since now thank you both


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## Matt M (Mar 2, 2011)

Just to make sure this is understood -- when we talk about cutting/pulling flights we're talking about young birds that are generally a few months old and have already started moulting their first primary flights. Don't go out and cut/pull flights on any newly weaned squeakers. Sometimes those feathers are still in blood stage for a while which if plucked could cause the new flight to come in smaller or malformed. And if the young bird hasn't already dropped it's first flight (counted from the middle of the wing where the primaries and secondaries separate) then you may not be helping and actually the 9th and 10th may moult again when it gets to that point in the cycle.


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## raftree3 (Oct 16, 2010)

Matt M said:


> Just to make sure this is understood -- when we talk about cutting/pulling flights we're talking about young birds that are generally a few months old and have already started moulting their first primary flights. Don't go out and cut/pull flights on any newly weaned squeakers. Sometimes those feathers are still in blood stage for a while which if plucked could cause the new flight to come in smaller or malformed. And if the young bird hasn't already dropped it's first flight (counted from the middle of the wing where the primaries and secondaries separate) then you may not be helping and actually the 9th and 10th may moult again when it gets to that point in the cycle.


Matt: I've done my older youngsters......any suggestions about my later ones, Late March to first week in April. I'm doing the light system with the older but not the younger and I'm thinking about working on at least the 9th flight with them.


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## Matt M (Mar 2, 2011)

raftree3 said:


> Matt: I've done my older youngsters......any suggestions about my later ones, Late March to first week in April. I'm doing the light system with the older but not the younger and I'm thinking about working on at least the 9th flight with them.


I have similar situation to yours -- so I'll do late March to early April youngsters when they start moulting their first flights. Mine are on lights too but just about to turn off now. I have January hatches that are starting their 8th flight and will be through 10th before the 1st race of the season on their own without needing to be pulled. Some of them are already pairing up because of the growth acceleration that the lights put on them.

But most of my team is on their 3rd thru 5th flight right now. I'm going to cut/pull their 9th and 10th along with the middle 4 tail feathers and then put them in a lock down period for 5-6 weeks. I'll pull 9th and 10th and pox them while they're resting. The quiet period is important because it's stress free for them and they will moult very fast -- way quicker than if they are under the stress of road training or daily loft flying. They are already settled, routing for at least an hour and road trained on short tosses so should be plenty ready to resume longer tosses once they're mostly moulted back. While the older ones are busy moulting I'll be settling and loft flying my younger birds that are just now joining the team. They will be natural and won't be full wing but should race OK. I had some birds born as late as mid-May last year that raced OK and earned diplomas even though they were never racing on a full wing. 

Those youngsters that are just now weaned and joining the team will be natural, too late to do much with them under lights but I will cut/pull flights/tail feathers and race them more sparingly while hoping for the best.


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