I've written this basically to practice making an information article. Once you read through, I would like your opinion on how I did in terms of delivering the information, and how informative it is, whether or not I may have left out anything important, etc.. It's no college-grade essay, nor is it the most professional out there, but I tried to at least make it sound ok. I would also like your opinion on the topic I've talked about. I like hearing other people's opinions about certain debates, so feel free to discuss the topic at hand after you are done reading.

Also, the images, while I tried showing the least graphic as possible, may still be disturbing. I do not recommend viewing to the weak of heart.

Now without further ado, here it is.

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Recently, I've been looking into poultry and waterfowl care, just for curiosity's sake, and I found what seems to be a controversial topic. It's in a way much like regular wing clipping (they have similar debate reasonings), but this form of clipping is usually more among farm hens as well as birds at the zoo. This kind of clipping is more relate-able to the de-clawing of a cat. The method I speak about, is called "pinioning".

What is pinioning?
Pinioning is when part of a bird's wing is cut off at the pinion joint, which prevents primary flight feathers from growing. Unlike regular wing clipping, these birds are permanently unable to fly.


Are pinioned birds able to fly at all?
Not really. Pinioning both wings keeps them from flying altogether. However, pinioning one wing does allow them to fly little, but the lopsidedness of having one pinioned wing gets rid of their lift or directional control. Either way, they wouldn't get far. One winged pinioning allows them to get a few inches off the ground. If they're lucky, that is.



What age does pinioning occur?
Pinioning occurs at a very young age for most birds, because they are not to bleed as much as they would when they get older. It's also not as traumatic to the bird as it is to an older bird that's used to having a set of full wings, because the more stressed a bird is, the more blood they will lose, and they can potentially die from pinioning. In some cases, people will pinion adult birds, but usually for the smaller variant like quail and ducks, as it can be harder for larger birds.

What kind of tool is used for pinioning?
Depending on the size of the bird, tools for pinioning can be as simple as a pair of kitchen scissors. They just have to be sharp enough to cut through the wing. Usually, people refrain from using tools that are too strong on smaller birds, since they have the risk of shattering the bones in the remainder of the bird's wing.



Why is this practice done?
With birds like ducks, quail, and other fowl or poultry that are accustomed to running on the ground, but are also able to fly, there is the chance of them escaping from the coop they're kept in. People pinion their wings to prevent this, and even if they do somehow get out, they won't get far. Some zoos may also do it to birds they keep, such as flamingos and larger fowl, so they don't fly away. It is illegal for zoos to do this, in certain areas, such as the UK.


What makes this so different from feather clipping?
Feather clipping is where you simply cut off the primary flight feathers (and sometimes the secondary flight feathers), and the birds are usually able to fly to a certain extant. Pinioning prevents the ability to fly altogether. With feather clipping, the bird is able to fly after going through a molt. Wing pinioning, however, permanently rids the bird of the ability to fly.

Should pinioning be done to parrots?
Absolutely not! Parrots aren't the same as waterfowl or poultry birds, as they are more accustomed to being in trees in the wild, so they would be preferred in high places. This would be bad if one places a pinioned parrot on a perch high above the ground, because if they were to be spooked and attempt to fly off, they would immediately fall to the ground and hurt themselves, for they would have no way to slow their fall.



Are there ways to keep these birds without pinioning?
Very much so! Many poultry clip their birds' primary flight feathers, just like us parrot owners do. Pinioning is simply an easier thing to do for these owners, so they don't have to regularly go through their birds after every molt. Since trying to clip the primary feathers can be incredibly difficult with large zoo birds, some zoos have aviaries for their birds.



Is pinioning bad?
Whether it's good or bad depends on your personal opinion. The topic is as controversial as de-clawing a cat or docking the tail of a dog as well as cropping a dog's ears, but it also relates to the controversy behind wing clipping. Some people think of it as cruel, and some people think of it as necessary. It's even considered humane to those who grew up around it.
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Now at this point, you have probably read through everything above. It is time to comment, either by critiquing my work, or simply commenting about your opinion on the topic at hand (I would very much like to see the ladder though. I would love to hear people's opinions on controversial topics like this).

Do not be afraid to voice your opinion, even if it's different from other peoples' opinions. I like to hear from all perspectives.

Wait, wait, wait. I think I've seen something like this before...

Isn't that where their body still attempts to grow feathers but then press against a sealed wing's surface causing pain from under the skin?

It would be good to include a description of regular wing clipping, emphasizing that it means cutting the wing feathers only not the bird's flesh. Pinioning is a permanent amputation of part of the bird's wing and it is NOT normally used on pet birds. I've heard of ignorant bird owners who decided to clip their bird's wing but didn't know that they were only supposed to cut some feathers, and cut off part or all of the bird's wing, sometimes resulting in the bird bleeding to death.

With pinioning there's probably some stuff that has to be done before and afterwards, like pain control, disinfecting the area, and stopping the bleeding. The bird would need to be properly restrained too. It would be good to mention that too, in case some ignoramus reads the article and decides to pinion their pet chicken, and thinks that cutting off part of the wing with a pair of scissors is all there is too it.

I don't like pinioning at all, it seems like animal cruelty to me. But there are circumstances where it's the most practical way to keep a bird from flying away. But it's a practice that causes permanent harm to the bird, and if it's not done right it can do a lot more harm than was intended. There are a lot of stupid people on the internet, so when you write about a difficult subject like this it's best to take the "idiot factor" into account and make sure the message is nice and clear that this isn't something to take lightly. It's a serious decision, and if it's going to be done it needs to be done for a good reason and it needs to be done correctly to minimize the pain and injury to the bird.

That is terrible imaging not ever been able to fly and your gift been taking from you so sad.Thats just wrong.

I'm not sure Bluekeet to be honest. Nothing I've read mentioned that issue, and I've read from both sides. It could be something that happens if not done correctly. So much could go wrong, that's why certain areas only allow vets to do it.

Your right Carolyn. I really should've emphasized that more. I tried to make note that it's not the same as regular wing clipping, and the fact that it's not reccommended for pet birds such as parrots, though I guess describing what regular wing clipping is would have made things so much more helpful.

I've tried searching up the exact procedures. Nothing. Mentioned nothing on pain control, either. According to the diagram, some people cut off the alula and some people don't. I have no idea how that impacts.

I swear, using the internet for sources is almost impossible. So much information, but it's hard to tell what can be reliable. Not only that, but it seems that other sources like to leave out some of the most important information, as well. I have a friend who keeps these kinds of birds, so I'll talk with her about it, and then revise it accordingly. She's likely to have some first-hand information, since her parents were farmers, be it if she does this or not.

Indeed, parrotwhisperer, it does sound horrible. At least with regular wing clipping, the feathers will grow back after a molt. With pinioning, they're never able to fly again.

Very well written! I feel like pinioning is cruel to birds but it's a great article nonetheless.

The people I've known that kept chickens didn't do this. Some kept the chickens inside a tall wire fence and others just let them run free. Chickens aren't very prone to running away and tend to stay on their home ground, at least as long as they have a good food supply lol. They don't like to fly anyway and don't do it well enough to go very far, so I'm not sure why anybody would need to pinion a chicken.

I have seen pinioned birds at a zoo, in a large outdoor exhibit with other types of animals in it like elephants and antelope. If the choice is between a naturalistic setting like this or an enclosure that's more secure but smaller and less similar to life in the wild, then maybe this is a better deal for the bird. I prefer zoo exhibits where they leave the birds intact and put netting over the top of the enclosure, but this is obviously more expensive and not all zoos can afford it.

I never knew chickens could fly haha lol maybe thats because of poining.

Chickens can fly a little but not high at all. It's more like a jump with wings flapping. They can fly high enough to jump over the fence or out of the coop but most breeds can't fly well. They clip to prevent flying away. My chickens never gave me trouble so I let them clip their wings. They would live in a coop but I would give them out of the cage time and let them roam around and put them back in the cage before night. I think I was born a parrot owner because I never had parrots before my chickens but my instincts told me to give them out of the cage time.

Just like the chickens in Minecraft lol they can fly a little over the fence so u have to double them so they're higher.