"Clipwing" Pigeons

[Ben Fougere]

Just bought Tom Dokken's Retriever Training book from Wholesale Sports.

I had one question to those of you who use pigeons for training. Is the "clipwing" pigeon method considered a humane thing to do to a pigeon? Where might I find literature to prove that this is ok to do?

And, for those of you who don't know what a "clipwing" pigeon is, the book gives directions and they are as quoted: "To create a clipwing simply remove the last six primary feathers. Starting at the tip of the wing, grasp each feather firmly and tug. They will come out cleanly. You only have to do this to one wing. The pigeon will be able to flutter around but can't fly away with only one fully feathered wing."

It just doesn't seem right, but I can see it being a very valuable training tool. I am half way through this book and it's great. I recommend this book to everyone!

[yukon john]

Dont know anything about pigeons or bird training but we always just cut the feathers on chickens and ducks to keep them from going very far which, i assume, is the goal. Just trim the feathers on one wing with scissors (if you go back to far you will get a little blood in the feather) good luck
YJ

[Tuffcity]

You can probably accomplish the same thing by putting rubber bands on the wings.

RC

[SHACK]

Used to do it all the time with pigeons, just clip one side shy of the "bleeder" and your bird will not be able to fly as fast or far. A little less rough on the bird, but still keeps them managable.
You could also tie off a streamer of fabric strips about 2-3 feet long to one of the legs, this tires the bird out quickly and the flights are short start with about 6-8 pieces 2" wide and work down or up from there depending on how far or fast you want the bird to fly.
If you do some phone work to a few pest control companies around town, and talk nicely, you may be able to get a non stop supply of birds, I do find that they want them destroyed otherwise they just wind up re-traping the same birds over and over.

[yukon john]

Fraser Valley Auctions in langley always has lots for cheap, saturdays at 9

[britman101]

Wiley I have done the cutting of the flight feathers on the pigeons when using them for field dog work with my pointer. However, in those cases, the object is to build a steady point in the dog, and not allow him to chase or bust in on the bird. If you are going to be using the pigeons for retrieval work, chances for injury especially during training, to the pigeons is very likely to occur. In cases like that, dispatching of the pigeon should be done in a quick and humane manner.

[Ben Fougere]

chances for injury especially during training, to the pigeons is very likely to occur. In cases like that, dispatching of the pigeon should be done in a quick and humane manner.

This is what I was wondering about. Is there something, somewhere that states what is "humane?"

I would like to try to get Kingston some experience with birds and so far, I've only been trapping them and letting him try and catch them, but I am starting to wonder if this is even a good idea, because Tom's book says that "you want the dog to know that he can catch a bird so that he doesn't lose interest in retrieving." I have noticed a change for the better in Kingston's drive to retrieve and do some of the drills we've been doing since I've started catching the pigeons in our backyard. I simply want to move onto the next step and start letting him catch a few.

I think I'll start with tying up the pigeons wings, but I like the idea of a clipwing better.

[labguy]

Wiley:

There is some legislation regarding the use of live birds for training dogs. I know we're not allowed to shackle pigeons (tying their wings) and then throw them for retreiver training..................not sure about clipping/shackling them for a bird dog to hunt them up.

A call to the local CO's office will let you know what you can and cannot do as far as the law is concerned when training with live birds. Then you can make an informed choice as to what you want to do.

Good luck with your dog

[bopper]

Just so everyone's clear on the use of live birds for training, way back ( I think in the 30's) the current law regarding the use of live birds came into effect. This was because of growing opposition to live pigeon shoots, which was a popular shooting sport in Spain, Mexico, the U.S.A. and Canada. Live pigeons were hand thrown by expert throwers, and shotgunners took turns shooting until they missed, and until one winner remained.
This was considered inhumane, so the law as it presently stands says that you cannot shoot a bird that is hand thrown or released from a mechanical device. You can dizzy a bird, plant it on the ground, flush it and shoot it, and that is legal. You can wing clip and throw a bird, and fire a blank pistol, and retrieve, and that is legal. In the USA, migratory game birds cannot be used for training purposes. In Canada, it is legal, and Retriever Clubs are allowed to keep a certain number of legally shot migratory game birds for use in training or trials. Hope this clears things up...
Bopper

[Ben Fougere]

Bopper,

That clears things up for me. Do you know where I can find this info as per Canadian law?