To pinion or not.
- Thread starter elefante
- Start date
I don't see exactly where pinioning is an advantage, apart from keeping birds in open-topped enclosures. In my mind, I would prefer to see pelicans/flamingos etc in aviaries, I think though that cost and practicality makes this difficult for some places that built open-topped lakes back in the day.
I am quite sure pinioning is very stressful on a constant basis, at least to certain species.. I never realised this until I kept some pinioned ducks/waterfowl. I became very aware of how they never become completely used to this handicap and would often 'cartwheel' trying to take off. It is depriving them of a very important element of their lives, rather like cutting a person's leg off. I would not keep pinioned birds again.
IanRRobinson
Well-Known Member
One of the things that shows up the limitations of "antis", IMHO, is that they never focus on pinioning, which has got to be the single worst abuse of animal welfare by otherwise deeply reputable animal managers.
Decent collections should surely not be doing this.
Decent collections should surely not be doing this.
To pinion or not
I'm going to wade into this debate as a waterfowl keeper of more than 40 years, with a few points:
Waterfowl are more cold resistant if left full winged, as they have not lost part of their insulation on one side
Full winged waterfowl may be physically fitter, as they can exercise by flying
If 'pushed', especially smaller and less intelligent species, pinioned birds will attempt to fly -- one needs to remember this when working with them.
HOWEVER
Pinioned waterfowl can be given significantly more space, because you don't have the logistics and expense of top cover. Full winged geese and swans would be more difficult to accommodate.
No pinioned duck has ever flown into the aviary roof and broken its neck
Almost all waterfowl [and the larger cranes] moult all their primaries at once, and are naturally flightless for several weeks of the year.
Most waterfowl in collections are pinioned, live long and breed well
If one accepts pinioning as a necessary evil, I would suggest it is most acceptable [or least unacceptable] for terrestrial/aquatic subjects, markedly less so for parrots [which are often wing-clipped, though rarely pinioned] and totally unacceptable for vultures [which is sadly too common around the world]
Having said all this, I picked up an injured Turtle Dove in 1971, the end of whose wing actually came off, leaving an effectively pinioned bird that would not normally be in that state. With sensitive treatment, she lived for thirteen years, and left numerous descendants. Her daughter lived to be nineteen, and I still have her granddaughter who is nearly that age. Obviously one would not pinion or wing-clip a dove, but this wild casualty's history might demonstrate that sensitively kept animals do not brood on the shortcomings of their lives, but just get on with it.
I'm going to wade into this debate as a waterfowl keeper of more than 40 years, with a few points:
Waterfowl are more cold resistant if left full winged, as they have not lost part of their insulation on one side
Full winged waterfowl may be physically fitter, as they can exercise by flying
If 'pushed', especially smaller and less intelligent species, pinioned birds will attempt to fly -- one needs to remember this when working with them.
HOWEVER
Pinioned waterfowl can be given significantly more space, because you don't have the logistics and expense of top cover. Full winged geese and swans would be more difficult to accommodate.
No pinioned duck has ever flown into the aviary roof and broken its neck
Almost all waterfowl [and the larger cranes] moult all their primaries at once, and are naturally flightless for several weeks of the year.
Most waterfowl in collections are pinioned, live long and breed well
If one accepts pinioning as a necessary evil, I would suggest it is most acceptable [or least unacceptable] for terrestrial/aquatic subjects, markedly less so for parrots [which are often wing-clipped, though rarely pinioned] and totally unacceptable for vultures [which is sadly too common around the world]
Having said all this, I picked up an injured Turtle Dove in 1971, the end of whose wing actually came off, leaving an effectively pinioned bird that would not normally be in that state. With sensitive treatment, she lived for thirteen years, and left numerous descendants. Her daughter lived to be nineteen, and I still have her granddaughter who is nearly that age. Obviously one would not pinion or wing-clip a dove, but this wild casualty's history might demonstrate that sensitively kept animals do not brood on the shortcomings of their lives, but just get on with it.
IanRRobinson
Well-Known Member
Interesting comments from someone who obviously knows his stuff.
I read with interest your comment "most waterfowl in collections are pinioned, live long and breed well". Are there taxa where in your opinion breeding success improves markedly if birds are kept full-winged?
I read with interest your comment "most waterfowl in collections are pinioned, live long and breed well". Are there taxa where in your opinion breeding success improves markedly if birds are kept full-winged?
Pinioning is a surgical procedure that removes the last segment of the wing, making a bird permanently flightless.
Wing-clipping involves removing the primary and secondary flight feathers. The birds can regain flight after the feathers grow back.
I don't like the idea of pinioning, but with large waterbirds (like swans, pelicans and flamingos) pinioning is the most effective way of housing them in large bodies of water. Otherwise, only the biggest covered aviaries in existence today could offer them substantial flying space.
IanRRobinson
Well-Known Member
There are "roofed" flamingos at Bristol and Edinburgh. In both cases the initial motivation might have been that the exhibits are right by the zoo perimeter. It has made a much more diverse exhibit possible though, certainly at Bristol;.
To pinion or not
Re the suggestion about particular waterfowl taxa breeding better if full-winged, anecdotal information suggests that perching and/or very small and perhaps tropical species may fit this. However, most waterfowl 'do' better in single pair enclosures, whatever their flight status, due to lack of competition.
More 'thoughts' about netted-over enclosures for full-winged waterfowl:
No access for aerial predators
No access for aerial food competitors
No access for local species to disrupt pairings and produce unwelcome hybrids
BUT
It only takes one enterprising Squirrell to chew a hole in the [usually flexible] mesh, and you are at risk of introducing exotics to the local environment; this happens more often than might be thought...
Re the suggestion about particular waterfowl taxa breeding better if full-winged, anecdotal information suggests that perching and/or very small and perhaps tropical species may fit this. However, most waterfowl 'do' better in single pair enclosures, whatever their flight status, due to lack of competition.
More 'thoughts' about netted-over enclosures for full-winged waterfowl:
No access for aerial predators
No access for aerial food competitors
No access for local species to disrupt pairings and produce unwelcome hybrids
BUT
It only takes one enterprising Squirrell to chew a hole in the [usually flexible] mesh, and you are at risk of introducing exotics to the local environment; this happens more often than might be thought...
IanRRobinson
Well-Known Member
The row of pens at Slimbridge (now removed?) on the path leading up to the Chilean Flamingos seemed to be dominated by Mallard whenever I looked. I remember smiling wryly at a drake in what the label claimed was a pen for American Black Duck...
Sewerby Zoo's waterfowl are in a large walk-through aviary with a mesh roof. The zoo prefers not to have pinioned birds, but some bought in specimens came pinioned. Although hopefully the problem has now been rectified by the construction of a substantial overhang, over the last year the zoo has had major problems with Foxes getting into the aviary through the roof. Both pinioned and full-winged birds have fallen victim to these predators.
The row of pens at Slimbridge (now removed?) on the path leading up to the Chilean Flamingos seemed to be dominated by Mallard whenever I looked. I remember smiling wryly at a drake in what the label claimed was a pen for American Black Duck...
I remember mallards in almost every enclosure in Disney's Animal Kingdom. Any source of water around they find.
Wing clipping(feather clipping) is painless though the birds may be stressed by the handling involved, and their sudden inability to fly- if they were flighted before.
Pinioning(permanent) is normally done with very young birds, e.g. with waterfowl at a few days old when the section of wing removed can be clipped off with scissors and is a relatively minor procedure. But when the bird matures and starts to attempt to fly, that's when I believe stress comes into the equation. Any adult birds which are pinioned surgically must suffer far more though.
Pinioning(permanent) is normally done with very young birds, e.g. with waterfowl at a few days old when the section of wing removed can be clipped off with scissors and is a relatively minor procedure. But when the bird matures and starts to attempt to fly, that's when I believe stress comes into the equation. Any adult birds which are pinioned surgically must suffer far more though.
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Emm, I can see both sides of this issue, but somehow it still does not feel right to me. It is essentially the same as de-clawing cats when regular, non-painful and non-permanent procedures like nail clipping and feather clipping can accomplish mostly the same thing. Of course, if you miss the schedule and let new feathers come in you could lose your bird. Also - it means you have to handle the animal more, which can be stressful.
I don't know. I'd hate someone to cut off my toes so I don't run away, even though they could easily keep me in an enclosure anyway.
Pinioning just seems to me to be an amputation for the sake of convenience more than real necessity -- and that thought bothers me.
I don't know. I'd hate someone to cut off my toes so I don't run away, even though they could easily keep me in an enclosure anyway.
Pinioning just seems to me to be an amputation for the sake of convenience more than real necessity -- and that thought bothers me.
Yes it does. Birds very easily die of stress simply being caught, that's why breeders prefer to pinion them just once, as chicks.
Moebelle, there was a longish discussion about pinioning on this site before you joined. It answers most of your questions and I don't want to rewrite the thread.
Does the wing clipping involve both wings? I don't know if my experience with farm chickens is applicable but I learned at a very young age about wing clipping. We kept our chickens in an open top enclosure with a coop to roost in at night. I was perhaps 10 years old when I learned the hard way that you only clip one wing. If you clip both wings the chickens will be flying around again in no time. Clip just one wing and they can't fly at all for quite a while.
I knew nothing about primary and secondary flight feathers. I would just catch a chicken with my "chicken catcher", take it over to the chopping block and, with a hatchet, chop off some of the feathers on the trailing edge of one wing. That would throw them out of whack for flying.
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