pinioned wings! grrrrrr!

[Rosecomb-Ryan]

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It really doesnt matter, because those ducks wouldnt be able to fly anyways.... I think pinioning is a good thing, Some birds like exotic geese I think should. Then they can be free ranges without worrying about them flying and hurting themselves....

Well, these ducks do fly, only a few feet off the ground and only between 20-30 yards at a time, they aren't exotic geese, they are ducks, and all the years we've had ducks and even when we had geese, they never hurt them selves while flying, not trying to be a jerk or anything, just pointing out we'll have to agree to disagree!

and its always nice to have someone with a different opinion on here!

Ok now.... How do they fly 20-30 yards if their pinioned? I have had many Swedish ducks and never had one that could fly....

 

[Rosecomb-Ryan]

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Exactly, I have spent hundreds of dollars on geese and would hate to see one go over a fence and get killed by a dog, get hit by a car... ect... Also they might take off and get lost and then be killed..

 

[slim1986]

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Well, these ducks do fly, only a few feet off the ground and only between 20-30 yards at a time, they aren't exotic geese, they are ducks, and all the years we've had ducks and even when we had geese, they never hurt them selves while flying, not trying to be a jerk or anything, just pointing out we'll have to agree to disagree!

and its always nice to have someone with a different opinion on here!

Ok now.... How do they fly 20-30 yards if their pinioned? I have had many Swedish ducks and never had one that could fly....

Ok, well, had you read my post, only the hen in the pic was pinioned, the rest do fly, and I have more than just the 2 of the, my other ducks, which are not pinioned get a few feet off the ground a fly low across the field to the pond I see them do it all the time, so maybe he isn't a black swedish, that's not what I said, that is something someone else suggested. I have a rouen drake that jumps around and flaps and flies a few feet well at least 15 feet because he's flown half the distance of my parents porch a few times and its 15 feet form one end to the middle where he usually grounds out, and he's a pretty big boy, my khaki campbell hen flies well too, her and my mallard/blue swedish cross are the ones that go up to 20- 30 FEET, which was an accident that I said yards I was watching football when I typed it and wasn't thinking in feet at the time, but I'd be happy to measure it next time they fly so I can tell u its between 10 and 15 , oh and my swedish hen, she will jump when the others take off and fly down into the pond from about 10 feet away. Oh almost forgot, the black green and white drake does about the same as the rouen! So I still don't like it nor would ever buy birds that cost me hundreds of dollars so I would have to do it, I admit I messed up and said yards when I meant feet, but it still doesn't change the fact that there are dumb people out there who do pinion birds out of ignorance, and I disagree with it 100% as do I with debeaking! That being said, in ur case I get it, u have lots and lots of money put in those birds, so its legitimate, but........ Wait I feel like somewhere thru this I've gotten off topic, I realize rosecomb, that u are right, they do not fly like a mallard would, the "flying" mine do I'd more like gliding, but the fact still remains that they are heavy breed ducks and couldn't fly away, so she was pinioned out of ignorance, well rosecomb-ryan, my apology for getting irritated when what u said earlier now makes more sense, but yeah, I'm gonna stop typing before I say something else stupid! Lmao!

 

[hossfeathers]

I myself would not pinion birds, but I understand that some would - and not all ducks read the manuals that say "Large breed ducks don't fly". When done properly at a very young age, it is not much different than cropping tails on some breeds of dogs. (Which also I would not do.)

Clipping wings is not difficult...but it can be hard to catch them at the right time every year to repeat the clipping.

I can understand the frustration from having bought birds and thought that one had done a complete once-over on the animal before purchase, only to realize that one had completely missed the pinioning. That must have been very frustrating, especially for an experienced duck keeper who did a good exam on the animals he/she was planning on bringing into an established flock.

(Reading the posts above, it really wasn't clear if the pinioned birds flew or not. I'm glad it was clarified.)

 

[dumb_cluck]

Pinioning birds is just as bad as hobbling (cutting the achilles tendon).

Both practices are medieval.

 

[Frost Homestead]

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X2

 

[Zigmont]

It's horrible. I have a big, beautiful draft horse and his tail was docked. I feel so bad for him trying to swat flies. Without a tailbone, he can't even lift his short tail away from his body when he goes to the bathroom and poops all over it. Sad..

 

[ChickieBooBoo]

I don't pinion my ducks, but only because we live in the middle of nowhere so if they jump up and fly around its not a big deal. They don't go far, and they always come back. If I had expensive birds that I didn't want to fly away I wouldn't have a problem pinioning them. Better that then getting lost, starved and ripped apart by a predator.

 

[AutumnWinds]

I have a mixture of pekin and mallard ducks, your female is colored similiar to them. I think they are beautifully colored as no two are alike. Almost like a pied look.

Certain breeds do have to be pinioned, but I think a fence over the top would be an easier solution for the ones that you don't want flying around. I worked at a vet for years and find the ear cropping and tail docking a cosmetic thing and not really worth the pain to the dogs. I feel the same way about the ducks.

 

[goosedragon]

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I think you would be quite suprised at how much air some domestic big ducks can get on there own wings throw in a windy area...and you educated people are going to be chasing ducks....
BTW if the SWANS are the white mute breed pinioning is REQUIRED BY LAW. they are a invasive breed (Non Native) that tend to go wild and take over breeding grounds of Native birds. This may be applied to Muscovy ducks in the future, the regulators had proposed the rule but backed off because of protests. Knowing how people dump ducks I fully expect the rule to be extended to them also.