Lately we are discovering dangers that can occur to her with full freedom of the house

If you don't mind me asking, what do you mean by this? Has anything actually happened, or have you just read about potential dangers?

Personally, I feel that birds are almost always safer fully flighted, assuming they have good flight skills and absolute control over their flight. All of mine do. Most of the hazards I have read about birds encountering in a home (flying into windows, ceiling fans, pots of boiling water etc) can be avoided fairly simply by a) being careful and doing a few easy modifications to remove the dangers, or b) acclimating the birds to them (in the case of the windows).

With clipping, you run into a whole new set of dangers because they can't fly; falling behind things or into spaces they can't easily get out of, ending up underfoot easily, not being able to escape from other pets easily, etc.

Basically, what I'm trying to say is, if being flighted is working for Taco, why change that? Flight is literally the only thing that keeps birds safe by nature. Although our homes are different environments from the wild, the concept is still the same in a lot of ways.

I've only ever clipped for behavioral reasons, not for safety (because I am a pretty firm believer that is misguided in most cases). Even then, I don't like doing it. Recently I had to clip Bandit because he will be going to live with my friend, and he is a very strong-willed bird who loves to play "heck no, I'm not going to bed, catch me if you can!" even with me who he loves. He'll be in a big house, not a little bird room there, and I don't want him taking her on a wild chase. Once he acclimates to his new home, hopefully he can be fully flighted again.

The "perfect clip" is not always the same with every bird, though. At first we only took two feathers off each of Bandit's wings, which made NO difference. So we tried three...again, barely slowed him down (but, keep in mind he is flying in a small space, so I don't know what kinds of affects it will have over him flying long distances). Finally we settled on the first four primaries on each side and this seemed to be "perfect." Well, within two days he was flying effortlessly again and evading me effectively at bed-time. So, we were forced to take another two off each side, which basically makes him look like he has a full clip at this point. I feel terrible and I hope it will only be temporary. For now, he can still glide because he is a strong flier. For a different bird, two or three feathers on each side might have been plenty.

 

I just do the first 3 or 4 feathers. they can still fly, like from room to room. they just can't fly UP.

 

I think that would be the safest and what I am hoping to achieve... Safe flight. Taco came home with us with wings already clipped and we have let her grow back her flights. This will be my first time going with her to clip 4/5 flights all at once. So it was disheartening to see her lost flight. I am hoping in a few days she will relearn to fly with a mild clip.

 

1.Our kitchen window has a partial stained glass to which taco loves to fly on to. Stained glass has lead. My husband concocted a wooden perch for her on top of the glass, which kept her safe for a while but now she likes to bend down and occasionally bite at the lead.... A big no no! We also have a chase getting her off there onto somewhere safe. A clip will prevent her from flying high enough to this glass.

2. Planning a vacation where taco will have to stay at my parents while we are gone. They have a fully mirrored wall in the living room that is 9 feet by 15 feet and my parents are in their 70s and 80s and as such will be no match for taco if she is fully flighted.

 

Those are valid concerns for sure! Sounds like you've definitely thought it through. I agree with Amz then if you're going to do it.

 

You could try starting one or 2 at a time and seeing how well she does. If she's still gaining too much altitude, just clip another feather until you find what works for you. that's how i did it.

 

I think there's no such thing as a perfect clip for every bird. It's all about knowing your own bird as well as some trial and error. I'd cut them two at a time, one on each side, then let Taco go. Get her to fly, see if it's too much. If it is, cut two more. And so on.

 

Reading this thread, it's clear that the "perfect" clip doesn't exist. It totally depends on the individual bird and their flight strength/control. Coyote came to me fully fledged and a strong flyer and I asked the breeder to clip him for safety in *my* home (meaning, everyone has different issues on why they may feel the need to clip, etc). With 5 primaries clipped on both sides, he can still easily fly around and around the room several times, avoiding obstacles and keeping enough height to land on my head or shoulder. Even with a broken tail feather flapping around (driving me way more crazy than it does him)! So, your bird may vary. In my extremely limited experience with exactly 1 young cockatiel and a few young budgies, starting with 2 clipped feathers and going from there seems like a good way to start.

I do think this is an excellent example of the benefits of letting a baby fully fledge before clipping though, as I have a budgie that I bought from Petco that has no idea how to fly whatsoever, as I bought her very young and she had a very severe clip (like, drop like a rock clip).

 

I personally don't clip, but just a few feathers on each wing should do the trick if you just want to slow them down

 

My preference is to clip as mine play outdoors and birds overhead can instinctively frighten them.. There's no telling how they will fly when spooked and if they are lost know how to get home(or want to)..