Show off your house ducks!

[seashoreduck]

They do grow back. Caution - If you do both wings they can still fly. One wing unbalances them.

Unilateral clipping is cruel. Bi-lateral clipping DOES destroy real flight. However, they are still able to get lift and therefore speed away from a predator or from other treats. If they do climb on something (and my ducks love to climb things) a unilateral clip can cause them to fall rather than glide down. Yes they have a semi-version of "flight" but it's much safer for them.

 

[Amykins]

Unilateral clipping is cruel. Bi-lateral clipping DOES destroy real flight. However, they are still able to get lift and therefore speed away from a predator or from other treats. If they do climb on something (and my ducks love to climb things) a unilateral clip can cause them to fall rather than glide down. Yes they have a semi-version of "flight" but it's much safer for them.

Eh, it depends on how it's done. Wobbles has all his primaries clipped and he can't fly upward at all, although h e can flutter downwards if he falls off a high place. Bean only has her first three done, and she can still get about five feet off the ground straight upwards if she really wants to!

 

[napdognewfie]

Thank you. I stand corrected.

 

[Amykins]

Won't clipping her wings be difficult (I am thinking more mentally) at this stage, since she already know she can fly. Oh, and added to the mix (but since I was already writing a book), we have a kitten, arrived similar time (she was planned to Maggie not being planned). They do get on, and play and sleep together (on me), but I am not confident enough as yet to leave them completely alone together in the house without me - and have read it is not a good idea. Occasionally Gigi does the odd playful pounce at Maggie (and it is very obviously a playful pounce), and Maggie does resort to flying when she is fed up with Gigi's antics. A small worry that taking away her ability to fly at this stage, but if it would be for the best...

Nah, it's like getting a dog fixed, they notice, but don't really seem to care. As for the cat, it's actually good that the kitten is growing up around the ducks, as that means they have a better chance of getting along. BUT, there is something you absolutely must consider, is that a good 80% of cats and about 50% of dogs (and humans!) carry a bacterium in their saliva called pasteurella, which is deadly to birds. So you just have to be mindful that the ducks never get into the cat's water, or the cat doesn't bite or scratch them.

Personally, I feel that it's best to clip wings regardless, as when mating season hits I hear sad story after sad story about owners losing their entire flock! One day they just, up and away...

 

[Alycea]

Nah, it's like getting a dog fixed, they notice, but don't really seem to care. As for the cat, it's actually good that the kitten is growing up around the ducks, as that means they have a better chance of getting along. BUT, there is something you absolutely must consider, is that a good 80% of cats and about 50% of dogs (and humans!) carry a bacterium in their saliva called pasteurella, which is deadly to birds. So you just have to be mindful that the ducks never get into the cat's water, or the cat doesn't bite or scratch them.

Personally, I feel that it's best to clip wings regardless, as when mating season hits I hear sad story after sad story about owners losing their entire flock! One day they just, up and away...

Thank you. All good information

 

[seashoreduck]

Eh, it depends on how it's done. Wobbles has all his primaries clipped and he can't fly upward at all, although h e can flutter downwards if he falls off a high place. Bean only has her first three done, and she can still get about five feet off the ground straight upwards if she really wants to!

Suffice to say though, Amykins, you have a real knowledge of ducks and have been doing it for a really long time. You can do it so it's not disabling....and you probably do it more accuracy than a beginner doing bi-lateral clipping. That and you know your ducks limitations. Beginners shouldn't be unilateral clipping because they tend to get a bit aggressive or simply not understand what needs to be done or how bad it is to simply "unbalance" a duck. The point should never, ever be to unbalance the duck, rather to prevent lift.

 

[Amykins]

Suffice to say though, Amykins, you have a real knowledge of ducks and have been doing it for a really long time. You can do it so it's not disabling....and you probably do it more accuracy than a beginner doing bi-lateral clipping. That and you know your ducks limitations. Beginners shouldn't be unilateral clipping because they tend to get a bit aggressive or simply not understand what needs to be done or how bad it is to simply "unbalance" a duck. The point should never, ever be to unbalance the duck, rather to prevent lift.

Heh, to be honest, a year ago I was pretty dang clueless! I got a huge break when I got to intern at an avian vet (that I now take my ducks to as clients) and I learned a lot. When I first got Wobbles I didn't know anything about duckies. Talk about a steep learning curve! And I hope you understand I was talking about bilateral clipping; I always clip both wings on my birdies. The whole helicopter duck thing just looks upsetting to me

I agree that unless you know what you're doing, clipping can be tricky. Especially if your birds are dark and you can't see their blood feathers. If you're able to, take her to a vet to have it done and they can show you how to do it in the future, most bird vets will do it as a drop-in service for, like, fifteen bucks.

 

[Alycea]

Heh, to be honest, a year ago I was pretty dang clueless! I got a huge break when I got to intern at an avian vet (that I now take my ducks to as clients) and I learned a lot. When I first got Wobbles I didn't know anything about duckies. Talk about a steep learning curve! And I hope you understand I was talking about bilateral clipping; I always clip both wings on my birdies. The whole helicopter duck thing just looks upsetting to me

I agree that unless you know what you're doing, clipping can be tricky. Especially if your birds are dark and you can't see their blood feathers. If you're able to, take her to a vet to have it done and they can show you how to do it in the future, most bird vets will do it as a drop-in service for, like, fifteen bucks.

Thank you again. Great info. Bilateral would have to be it as the thought of unbalancing Maggie is too upsetting. No avian vets around here, and I have been looking. Suspect we will have to do it ourselves. :-( But will research like crazy first and wait for my husband to get home at end of month, as two eyes/heads are better than one.

 

[Amykins]

Thank you again. Great info. Bilateral would have to be it as the thought of unbalancing Maggie is too upsetting. No avian vets around here, and I have been looking. Suspect we will have to do it ourselves. :-( But will research like crazy first and wait for my husband to get home at end of month, as two eyes/heads are better than one.

Here's a great video I found for call ducks specifically, I hope it helps! And good luck finding an avian vet, I know it's tricky but if you can locate one, you've got a friend for life. <3

Also....for my fellow houseduck brethren, do any of you guys sing? My opera days are far behind me, but Bean starts going into a frenzy whenever I go into my rendition of "Ave Maria". Just that one song, for some reason. I will never understand how ducky minds work, lol!

 

[JadeComputerGal]

Here's a great video I found for call ducks specifically, I hope it helps! And good luck finding an avian vet, I know it's tricky but if you can locate one, you've got a friend for life. <3

Also....for my fellow houseduck brethren, do any of you guys sing? My opera days are far behind me, but Bean starts going into a frenzy whenever I go into my rendition of "Ave Maria". Just that one song, for some reason. I will never understand how ducky minds work, lol!

Did you sing that to her when she was in her egg? I've noticed our ducks react differently to songs I sang them while they were still incubating.