Hello Everyone,
I may be getting a Sulphur Crested Cockatoo and was wondering if anyone could share experiences with Flight Training/ Free Flight....
I really would like to train her so that I can let her wings grow and she can enjoy freedom but safely as we live in New Zealand and have lots of space to offer.

First, make sure you tell the breeder not to clip before you take him home. It's harder to flight train if they have already been clipped. When are you getting one and, how old?

Here's a link to a Free Flight email list: Free Flight Training. They also have a number of articles about free flight and recall training.

She is 11 months old. The owner has given me her to bird sit but I don't think he wants her back. She is probably the most people friendly bird either I or the shop who breed her have ever seen.
She has been clipped but I was thinking if I do get her to let her wings grow back and maybe gradually train her using clicker training, commands or an aviator harness....
She appears to be very smart and willing to learn.
I read the free flight training thing but it seems very aimed at teaching them from chicks???

You CAN and WILL succeed in Recall Training any Cockatoo or parrot for that matter at any age

I am apart of two FLight groups on Yahoo.s FILLED with info that you cannot pass down if your interested in flight training

Yahoogroups;

FreeFlight
Freeflight : Freeflight

Parrot Recall Training
Parrotrecalltraining : Recall/Freeflight Training for Parrots

Hope this helps!!

My Umbie was clipped ALL OF HIS LIFE, and when he camwe to live with me he was VERY needy, VERY DEPENDENT on me and his flights were growing out. And I let them. Now fully feathered and we did move into a much bigger house early August. I have taught him to fly from me, to a place. But not yet fly to me.. He will climb down anywhere to get to me.. but not yet jump off and fly.

Mercedez

Mercedez, I'm interested in hearing more about your flight training with your U2 - what changes in demeanor have you noticed since the flight training, have observed much less neediness and more independence?

OH YES Bokka is much mor eindependent snce I rescued him. I am not sure if flight training has helped him with his neediness, as I gave him A LOT of attention when I first got him. I nurtured him like I would any abused animal. And then like a baby animal, I weaned him from myself. Well he weane dhimself. He was able to feel comfortbale laone in my room whoe I went to the bathroom, felt mor ecomfortbale by himself when I had to leave the room. Yes he contact called me, but I just contact calle dhim back. Plus as that happened, he would come look fo rme instead of me going to him

Bokka's over all weight andf muscle build has been improved ALOT!!! His balance is MUCH better too!!

When he first started recall and flying to things. He would break his tail feather (because of th elanding and crashing) Probably why baby birds grow their tails last because o fthe crashing and the bad landings would break their tails LOL

Bokka is more happier I think since starting free flight. Soon once I get him to fly to me, I will start taking him to this free flight warehouse building (Its huge my friend claims everyone in WA who does free flight takes them to this place) and then after Bokka gets used to the BIGGER place to fly and fly to me, I will start with the outdoors free flight training.

But even if you do not get outdoors and only indoors, or even not free flying, I totally recommend keeping your Toos flights unclipped.

Also before I started to do the flight training with Bokka, y U2. I started with basic positive reinforcment. I taught him Target Training - basic foundation of positivie reinforcment. And taught him The Wave, Give Me( I know name to this, but I just tell him to give me whatever he has and he drops it into my hand, once this happens, you can start with Retrieve)

Mercedez

p.s: I may start Free flight with my Amazon. She needs it I am sure! LOL. Right now we are starting a few small sessions a day with her flying from my hand 8ft away to her cage. Doing this 3xs a day.

That's fantastic! Good luck as you further your training, and I'm sure I'm not the only one who's interested in hearing about it as well. I do recall training with one of my budgies currently and I hope to have them all doing recall at some point. I do think it's such an enriching activity and the benefits are so great.

Yes it's decidedly easier with chicks. All the experts will confirm this. Nevertheless you can accomplish alot with a juvie or adult.

Go to Parrotrecalltraining : Recall/Freeflight Training for Parrots

And speak with Hugh Choi he's a great guy. IMO he's good at zeroing in on what the human has to do with a bird who is not such a blank canvass....as a trainer for the human. He's also got a flexibility in some areas of understanding people's "hangups" for lack of a better word without making you feel like a dope lol.

You're far away from outside free flight so everything you do from now on can built to whatever your Too's ultimate capabilities are.

My Parrotlet is recall trained but I'd never go outside, obviously, but she still enjoyed it tremendously. For enrichment. Now she has a mate and I don't focus on our bond so much.......

You can also start becoming expert in predators and migration patterns etc in your beautiful country. It's a key factor. And will take awhile to master I think.......it's great to have miles and miles of safe flying zone but defining safe is tricky. Then again a Too might be not as inclined to venture on overnights but I dont know that for a fact.....a free flight group can give you some stereotypes as guidelines.

Also be aware there are different attitudes and theories on this so different groups have different perspectives. And within a group, too. Some heated discussions happen, overlook them and you can learn alot from the disagreements especially imo.

You will read about weight management/food management it's the hardest concept to deal with.......

I have my larger birds. I have to say getting my larger brids on food managmen and weight managment has really help sthem out a lot!!

My Umbrella and Red Lored Amazon on food managment. It helps my Umbie become more willin to eat GOOD foods and the foods I want him to eat. And his weight is a healthy range at 595grams. Before with his pickiness after he was treated with meds (sickness) he was around 550(when sick he was 520-530)

My Ammy, she was over weight when we first got her, and now her weight his much healthy an dher feathers shine!

Th eonyl hard thing I have come across is gettign my Umbrella cockatoo to FLY to me.. he is recalled trained to come to me.. but not fly-wise. LOL. He climbs down his perch (or figures ou a way to climb down a perch or cage) to get to me. LOL. I need one of those training stands, or a round surface so he HAS to fly to me and cannot reach th ebard ot climb down. LOL

Mercedez