# wing clip question



## amoonswirl (Nov 14, 2006)

So the little rescue Modena I picked up this week has an interesting issue...
The folks who rescued him are used to dealing with parrots. So, before I got there, little Pete had a visit from the bird groomer and she clipped his flight feathers. I am sure she thought she was doing the right thing. 

I know it will take quite a long time for them to come back in, as moulting season is over. In the mean time, will he be at a disadvantage when it comes time to integrate him with the rest of my flock? 

My communal feeders and waterers are at ground level, and I have a good mix of high & low perches and nesting areas. (most of them like the higher perches so the low ones are usually empty) 

Any thoughts on the matter?


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## Maggie-NC (Jun 22, 2005)

Hi Karen

We have a similar situation with a big old king pigeon named Crystal. Whoever had her drastically cut (not clipped) both wings and half her tail. I think we got her in August and it took until this week before the feathers had grown back enough for her to be able to fly onto a perch. They are still not fully in though.

What we have done, after her isolation period was over, is take her out to the aviary in the morning and leave her with the others until about 4 pm. She stayed on the ground and presented no problem. Course, she is so much bigger than anything out there, they're probably afraid to mess with her.  We bring her back in to spend the night and then back to the aviary.

We have decided to continue to bring her in at night even though she can fly up to the perches because it has been pretty cold here at night and we just want to make sure she is 100% before she goes out there permanently. Honestly, I think she appreciates being brought in. Hopefully by the end of March it will be warm enough at night to leave her out there all the time.


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## amoonswirl (Nov 14, 2006)

Lady Tarheel said:


> Hi Karen
> 
> We have a similar situation with a big old king pigeon named Crystal. Whoever had her drastically cut (not clipped) both wings and half her tail. I think we got her in August and it took until this week before the feathers had grown back enough for her to be able to fly onto a perch. They are still not fully in though.
> 
> ...


Oh, poor Crystal!! How awful.
That's a good idea Maggie! In fact, after I posted this I saw Margarret has used a similar approach with integrating new birds in a flock.

This lil guy is a bit of a bruiser. I have not introduced him to any other birds yet, but he attacks me (and the cats) any chance he gets. Probably weighs in at around 500 grams too, though I have not yet checked. But still - I worry about him not being able to defend himself or fly away. Supervised, scheduled integration time is looking like a good plan. 

If only I had gotten there before the groomer clipped him - not something I would have even thought of though. It is looking like a long, lonely winter for Mr. Pete the Modena!


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## Maggie-NC (Jun 22, 2005)

Karen, a modena is on my wish list.  They are, along with the archangel, my favorite - of course, not counting the ferals which are my absolute favorites!


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## nbdyuknow (Apr 10, 2007)

*favorites?*

let's hear it for the big white utility kings!!!

--STP


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## Roxy (Nov 1, 2007)

I love modenas! how about some pics!!!


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## Maggie-NC (Jun 22, 2005)

nbdyuknow said:


> let's hear it for the big white utility kings!!!
> 
> --STP



I agree! I love them too! This is the beautiful Crystal:

http://www.pigeons.biz/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=7228&d=1190576676

She looks a lot like your Sophie.


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## nbdyuknow (Apr 10, 2007)

Yes, she does! I'd recognize that smug little look anywhere !!!


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## amoonswirl (Nov 14, 2006)

Crystal is beautiful!! I love the kings and runts - big beauties  Definitely on my wishlist too.

Here's Pete the Modena rescue:


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## Margarret (May 3, 2007)

I have an old hen racer I got from Terry who was found with her wings clipped. When it was time to introduce her into the loft with the others, I hung a roosting box about six inches from the floor so she could jump up into it. The box is a fabric construction I got at Walmart for about $7.99. I put two small hooks into the wall and hung it from those. This way she is enclosed all the way around except for the front and has her own space. She took to it instantly. Then,so she can get to the upper level and walk to the window to the aviary, I placed a small step stool both inside and outside. She can flap-jump from step to step to be with the other birds. She caught on to doing that very quickly. She uses the steps to get up to where she wants to go, but now, to get down, she jumps and sort of glides with spread wings to the ground.

Margaret


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## Maggie-NC (Jun 22, 2005)

Karen, Pete is absolutely gorgeous. I really love the markings.

Margarret, great idea.


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## Birdmom4ever (Jan 14, 2003)

I have a rescued homer that can't fly and he does fine on the floor of the aviary. The food and water are on platforms but he can get to them. I wouldn't worry too much about the wings. They will eventually grow in. It will take a long time because they don't normally molt until late summer/fall, but they will come back. If you really don't want to wait you can pluck the primaries one on each side per day and they will grow in faster, but this is painful for the bird.

It might not be such a bad thing for your Modena to be introduced to the flock with his wings clipped. Modenas are notorious for being aggressive, especially the cocks and they have a lot of weight to throw around.


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## philodice (Sep 30, 2007)

A few ladders, and he won't notice he isn't flying. That modena looks like he has attitude enough to make up for it.
I am never trimming my bird's feathers again after the chicken. A full set of flight feathers might have saved her life. She was a great flier. Then again, that was a huge coyote.


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## TerriB (Nov 16, 2003)

Ladders are also helpful for older birds, who might have a bit of arthritis. Last weekend's project was to construct a ramp to allow Walter (King, going on 11 yrs) to easily navigate from the flight pen perch to his balconly.


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## amoonswirl (Nov 14, 2006)

Thanks all for the helpful advice. Ladders sound like a good idea. My one fantail Isabella has a hard time getting up to the higher perches too. She might also benefit from a ladder.

Petey the Modena weighs more than my 500 gram scale can measure, and he is very aggressive toward any human who approaches him. So maybe the clipped flights will be a good thing for the other birds after all. I am definitely going to observe his first visits to the aviary. Lil Pete has attacked every part of my body he can reach, even biting me on the nose once when I tried to look inside his mouth, owww! 

Yup, he's a real stinker, but soooo cute. Even if I have to keep him indoors the rest of his life I am not giving him up  

A side question...would a mate calm him down? If so, I would definitely consider finding him one...


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## Birdmom4ever (Jan 14, 2003)

Yep, sounds like a Modena.  I don't mean to discourage you and he _is_ a beautiful bird, but you can expect the same kind of aggression toward your other pigeons. You should consider setting up a separate pen for him or perhaps dividing your loft/aviary (depending on your setup) so that he's in his own section. A mate will make him happy but it won't calm him down; if anything he'll be more aggressive as he defends his nesting area. I've dealt with aggressive cock birds before and they can really cause problems by hogging out multiple nest boxes, beating up other birds, etc. The fights can get serious. One of my rollers had an eye punctured in a fight with another bird nine days ago. A friend of mine actually had a pigeon killed in a fight in his aviary. So please be very careful.


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## Maggie-NC (Jun 22, 2005)

LOL, maybe I should reconsider my wish for a Modena.


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## amoonswirl (Nov 14, 2006)

Birdmom4ever said:


> Yep, sounds like a Modena.  I don't mean to discourage you and he _is_ a beautiful bird, but you can expect the same kind of aggression toward your other pigeons. You should consider setting up a separate pen for him or perhaps dividing your loft/aviary (depending on your setup) so that he's in his own section. A mate will make him happy but it won't calm him down; if anything he'll be more aggressive as he defends his nesting area. I've dealt with aggressive cock birds before and they can really cause problems by hogging out multiple nest boxes, beating up other birds, etc. The fights can get serious. One of my rollers had an eye punctured in a fight with another bird nine days ago. A friend of mine actually had a pigeon killed in a fight in his aviary. So please be very careful.


Drat. Well, maybe Petey gets to stay inside with us, or gets a separate enclosure. Thanks for the warnings!


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