I wanted to hear some opinions on this.

I got my first Quaker a few years back and his wings were clipped from the pet store. I allowed his wings to grow out and let him fly in the house, but one day he flew away when I was cleaning his cage out side.

For me personally, I felt the clipped wings allowed my bird and I to adjust, and by the time the flight feathers grew back, we had bonded and adjusted to each other.

So basically it goes in this order:

1.) Let the baby learn to fly and does it well
2.) Clip the wings to allow a soft landing
3.) Have the bird get adjusted to its new home and owner
4.) Allow the flight feathers to grow back

I have read some opinions that are strongly against clipping at all, but I don’t see what is wrong with the four stages I listed above.

I totally agree with this list. When I get my baby TAG this May I'm going to ask the breeder to clip her wings just enough so that she can flutter to a soft landing in case she falls. I just don't want to bring a flighted bird into my house that doesn't know me. For all I know she will fly to the highest spot in my house just because she doesn't know and trust me yet. But yes I will allow her flight feathers to grow back once I have her trust and love!

It's fine to allow your bird to be flighted as long as you can provide a safe environment for him to do so in. But never take a bird flighted - or clipped - without a harness on or in a suitable carrier.

As with anything there is always differing opinions, and in the bird world this topic is very sensitive. To be honest (Keep in mind, this is my own opinion formed through my observation's) there is no real right or wrong, set in stone, guidelines for keeping birds. The only real rule I try to encourage people to follow is, make each decision out of love, and be open to new idea's. What works for my situation may not work for anyone else, and vice versa. So with that said, I don't see anything wrong with the four steps you described. Amber & I actually keep both our Macaws ( I Have No Experience with Grey's, but I do believe this would apply to any bird in our care) flighted. It's just our preference, and it seems to work well in our home. We choose this after close scrutinizing, and assessment of many factors that are present in our home.

I agree with Lance- there is no right or wrong answer to this imo. My birds are flighted (or in the process of growing out their flight feathers) but we take certain precautions in our home because of this. That being said I see nothing wrong with your 4 steps. I think it makes alot of sense. But ultimatley clipping or being flighted all comes down to the owners sitaution and what is safest for the bird.

I also don't see anything wrong with those 4 steps. The most important thing is that the baby is allowed to fully fledge before his wings are clipped for the first time. My poor Ollie had her flights clipped when she was 8.5 weeks old. It took her about a year and a half to learn how to fly well, and land well. She will be 2 in about 2 weeks, and she is just about a pro!

my birds are not flighted ... but its because of the amount of cats I have and I also have dogs ... I also dont keep my birds caged during the day ..... ..

BUT they will be long clipped when their feathers grow back .. I dont enjoy seeing them fall and im scared they get hurt especially phoenix who is like a monkey

I think this can be seen in a few ways... Even a clipped bird can spook (or get ornery) and land on the floor or other such place where a dog/cat could get to him. A clipped bird has no chance. A fully flighted bird, who is able to practice and perfect his flying skills has a much better chance of escaping from a potential attack. Ollie still hasn't grown back in all her flights (she was clipped way too young by her breeder), so technically she is clipped. Her flying skills rival my speedy little tiel who has been flighted his entire life. Clipped doesn't mean they're immobile, but it does mean they probably won't be able to take off from the ground if there is a curious dog/cat nearby.

I won't be having any indoor cats as long as Ollie is in the house (and if I did- Ollie would never be out of her cage while the cat is inside, flighted or clipped), but if I did- I would leave her flighted to at least give her a chance should an accident happen.

This is not meant to be an argument, I would just like to present this side of it for people who may not have considered it.

As has been stated, "clipped vs flighted" has been known to spark furious debate. My personal opinion is that birds should always be flighted whenever possible, and that it is my responsibility as an owner to make it possible. If a bird is to be clipped, I absolutely agree that it should be allowed to fully fledge first. Tausi was not allowed to fledge, and I'm still dealing with that. Don't know if he'll ever be truly comfortable in flight.

I think the four step sequence of events listed by the OP may be needed, but perhaps not. Taming a flighted bird is certainly harder than taming one that is clipped. However, if the chick has been properly hand fed, socialized and tamed before fledging by the breeder, then it should be possible to get the bird used to a new place and new owner without clipping. A petshop bird unaccustomed to much handling would be a different story.

I'm agonizing over this issue right now myself. I'll be bringing home a 20 year old male Zon soon. He's flighted, and the question is do I leave him that way, or clip him until we become acquainted? Currently I'm leaning toward a wait and see attitude. Unless he gets really aggressive, I hate the thought of clipping him.

For what it's worth, it hasn't been any problem thus far with Winston flighted - he's the first bird (and untamed too) that came home who was already fully flighted. When he is out of the cage, he doesn't try to get away from us - but we've spent a lot of time interacting with him and letting him observe us so that he knows we're not a threat. He's still very cautious about some things, but he has not been uncontrollable at all because he is flighted, and he's still not 100% tame (mabye 50-60%).