3mth old ducks need flight feathers trimmed, no clue, need help!

[cthrash1]

You should only clip the flight feathers not all the way across... The flight feathers are the outside/longest 6-8 feathers. And as SandraChick says... Only one wing is necessary. But if you really don't want to clip wings then you could buy netting to put across the top of the run.

 

[kysilkies]

They stay in a covered run but we let them all out about an hour before sunset and they free range and put themselves away every night...The ducks are just realizing those big flappy things on their back do more than kick up dust in the coop!...When outside with them yesterday one took off and flew the 20'(most we've seen one fly) but towards our dogs' area, it just made us think of the possibilities and would rather be safe than sorry...

 

[Goat_Walker]

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Thats why I have to clip my scovies wings. For the first time today I watched my Big old 4 month old scovie drake fly across the pasture. Usually he just waddles but... I hope he puts on some heavy weight soon. My neighbors dogs have been sitting at the edge of their invisaible fence.

 

[kysilkies]

Being such a newb, I don't know if the males are too heavy to get off the ground already, they've never actually managed lift off, just light on the feet running...The female is the frequent flyer in the group...As much as I want to see her soar around, I want to keep her safe...

 

[TK Poultry]

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this is just me but i only clip bantam birds because most LF are too heavy to fly once they are adults and while their juveniles they dont fly well but thats just me

and you can't forget muscovies and some geese

 

[keeperofthehearth]

Scovies, as juvies and young adults WILL fly. I had 8-10 girls hang'n out on our roof day AND night. Then they started flying over to the neighbors 2nd story nicely re-roofed house.

One girl flew AWAY. She was gone for a few weeks and we thought forever. She did finally return AND we clipped her wing. If you do the beauty clip (leaving the last 2-3 longest flight feathers) they usually can still fly some but don't do the roof thing or long distance flying. That does allow them to get up and out of the way of a predator. You shouldn't have to clip their wing after they start laying or are about a year old. They just get to heavy to do much. My boys can fly but don't go very high or far. They will typically stay where the girls are.

Keep the girls grounded and you don't need to worry about your drakes.

 

[Goat_Walker]

My muscovy hens fly WAY more than any other duck ive ever owned. They fly around the barn, to other peoples yards - i even saw my one hen five miles away at a neighbors house!!! We have a wild scovie drake - over 7 years old - that takes off from a stand still and sounds like a plane taking off. I have videos lol.

Even with age - unless the duck is domestic and the feed is kept full the muscovie duck WILL fly whenever it feel like it and as far as it wants. I know this from experience - thats why i clipped my birds wings.

 

[smithzoo100]

Kysilkies, You are the ones that live with your birds and know if they need to be grounded or not. My BIG Muscovy drake surprised me not to long ago by taking off at our barn and flying to the other side of the yard and GAINING altitude!!!! He was about 7' off the ground when I caught his attention and he turned to see if I had something more interesting for him than whatever adventure he was on!! I would have told you prior to that there was no possible way Bob could fly because he is such a MOOSE!!! I was wrong and luckily it worked out okay. My neighbor dogs would have loved to have him as a play toy!! Babies that are just learning to fly are even worse because they are practicing and don't always go where they want, know how to stop, turn, or rate their speed in the air (especially if they panic and flap harder!!). I cannot tell you how many hikes I go on to retrieve baby ducks and geese from my horse pastures when they are learning to fly. Eventually, they learn where the gates are and I quit having to walk quite as far, just open lots of gates for them as they pace impatiently

That said, I do a slightly different clip on my birds. Partly it is to keep a natural look that I like and partly it is because I have seen some severely injured birds that have panicked and tried to fly with just one wing done. They have no directional control, but that is also why many people do just one wing!! I have just seen it cause some serious injuries over the years in other people's birds and our vet who I worked for for years agreed that both wings are safer for the bird. I do both wings, starting on the outermost flight feather moving inward towards the bird's body with the wing fully extended. I tuck my very sharp scissors just under the edge of the coverlet feathers you see layered on top of the larger, longer, and sturdier flight feathers and cut one feather at a time straight across. Leaving the ends of the flight feathers longer than that can irritate a sensitive bird by rubbing the cut ends into their back when they are at rest. It helps to have someone hold the bird for you and they feel more secure until you get the hang of it and are comfortable. For a heavier bird you can cut fewer feathers (start with 4-5). For a lighter bird and/or a more powerful flier, you can cut more (start with 6-7). On really fast and/or powerful birds, I have gone up to 10 or 11. My sister's Cockatiel was named Glyder for a reason and he had to have 11 cut every time to keep him safely grounded!!

The neat thing about doing a cut like this is my birds always look like they have little waist coats on when their wings are folded

I do know many people, I imagine Goat_Walker is one, who like the look of the long wings, but I know that all my female Muscovies will get off the ground with 3 flight feathers left untouched. I did leave my Bourbon Red tom turkey's flight feathers because I just felt awful trimming them when he got here, but I was in a panic searching for him at sun-down each night!! He has feathers 4-9 cut just below his coverlet feathers and STILL can clear the 4' fences to wander the property, but knows where he belongs now so it is no longer a worry. Chuck happens to weigh about 35 lbs so imagine how much a young Muscovy could fly with those flight feathers?!? Another thing to keep in mind is, once they get used to being grounded, they may no longer even try to fly (so you may not need to repeat their clips next year). However, a flapping duck in the wind that we've had here lately is like a kite, even if she didn't mean to take off!! Should've seen the look on my Ancona's face as she flew through the air since she's 6 and has never flown before!!!!

Always check to make sure that you bird's don't have new feathers coming in before you cut and REMEMBER to come back and cut them once they do come in if you have skipped the growing ones!! Every other feather is plenty of surface area to take off for some birds!! Goat_Walker's description is really good when you are looking for mature feathers vs blood or new feathers. It really is a good skill to have and is not so scary after you practice a bit and get the feel for it. Go catch one of your ducks and really take some time to examine what their wings look like up close. They are pretty amazing "flappy things" designed to carry many birds hundreds of miles. We just want to stop your's from going many feet!!

 

[Rosecomb-Ryan]

Kate,
Ok now come on dont say you have videos of him flying and not even show it to us sheesh lol

 

[CityChicker]

There are a number of different ways to clip wings. It is all a matter of opinion as to which way is best. I don't clip any of my birds anymore (don't have any that need it really). When we have clipped wings in the past, I prefer to do both wings. It is safer for the bird, but honestly it is rarely that big of an issue for waterfowl in my opinion. There is not as many opportunities for injury via uncontrolled flight in outside birds (at least not at our place). If you do have lots of things they could fly into or if they free range part of the day and might encounter predators (even dogs/cats/etc), I would do both wings so that they have more control and at least some form of escape.

You just want to do the primaries and I generally leave the outer two feathers as well because I think it looks better. As has been said, make sure not to cut into blood feathers. It is pretty obvious if the feather still has a blood supply, so that is rarely an issue, but you can indeed kill them if you snip off a blood feather. I leave the quill and an inch or more beyond that. Some people cut down into the quill, but I have seen that cause problems many times over (sometimes, quite serious problems if it splinters). Anyway, clipping wings is generally pretty safe and easy though.