Clipping Coturnix Wings

[kingfisherjr]

Does anyone have experience on clipping their birds wings? I have read where some do it and some do not. Do you clip them the same as you would any other bird? I have been debating on clipping mine or not before moving them from the brooder to the big pen and wanted to get some other peoples opinions on this. Thanks for any insight on the matter.

 

[cluckcluckluke]

Subscribing.

 

[USAmma]

I own parrots and cockatiels, so when it came time to clip my quails, I just did it the same way as I do my other birds. Sometimes they get out of the coop and when they try to fly they don't get very airborne. Much easier to catch!

I had a wild quail come into the yard and it easily flew up to perch on the top of my 6 foot fence. It made me even more glad that I had clipped my own quail.

 

[bugflipper]

The feathers grow back periodically so it's an annual event to clip them. My recommendation would be to clip only one wing. They can learn to fly somewhat with both clipped. With one they just look like drunken monkeys doing loops.

 

[buttonquailtx]

I clip wings. It makes it easier to use all sizes of cages, and also helps to retrieve the occasional escapee.

Wing clipping has to be repeated at least twice a year after molting. I normally clip wings in late fall when days are shorter than 12 hours, and again in Spring when days lengthen to more than 12 hours. I keep my quail outside without artificial lights, so they go through seasonal molts.

Always allow them to completely finish molting before clipping to be sure not to cut any blood feathers.

You may need to clip more than twice if illness, malnutrition, or parasites such as mites cause your birds to molt out of seasons. I also wait until birds are 8 to 10 weeks old to be sure they are completely in their adult feathers.

 

[DownyBoy]

How high can they fly after clipping primary feathers? I haven't gotten them yet, but I only have a 3 or 4 foot fence...

 

[le_bwah]

How high can they fly after clipping primary feathers? I haven't gotten them yet, but I only have a 3 or 4 foot fence...

Hi! Two things:

1. This thread is over six years old
2. Please don't try free-ranging Coturnix and expect them to return to a coop, clipped wings or no. They don't have a chicken's homing instinct and can wander off to meet grim fates.

Best build or buy them a permanent cage with enough space to eliminate aggression, sturdy enough to keep rats and other predators out.

 

[FloorCandy]

Quail can easily get over a 4 ft fence if they aren’t clipped. If you clip one wing, they can possibly get over with a lot of effort, but won’t get far beyond. Mine heft themselves out of the pen on occasion, it’s about 2.5 ft. As the birds get older they calm down and don’t try as often. I clip all the birds when I move them outside, but I didn’t reclip after they molted because they don’t try anymore.