BB is on the end or so I hope of his molt. I found a 16 inch feather at the bottom of his cage when I got home. No blood .

If it is a pluck you will see blood correct. You guys know I am ignorant on this LOL

The feathers around his neck are finally coming in. I guess it is what they call a hard molt because it is taking forever to get the feathers back LOL

I've got feathers everywhere right now, and all five of my birds look pretty ratty at the moment, between dropping feathers and new pinnies...

Plucking you would notice bald spots. And you would actually see him pulling feathers out.

My RFM is down to only three tail feathers at the moment as the rest are falling out. And she alternates between cuddly and grumpy... (there are places she doesn't want touched at the moment, and she's very defensive of hands anywhere near them.)

So, normal for this time of year. And plucking tends to be dramatic.

By the way, both my birds play with their tail feathers. In fact, they seem to use them as tools to scratch their own backs. (While giving you the pathetic look - Do I have to do this myself?!)

Well I just got another shock. Seems that happens a lot now. One of the girls at work she also works a part time job in a craft shop and wants to buy any feathers that he molts. I thought Freaky Why would anyone do that. She said there are no other Macaws that she knows around here and they use the feathers in crafts. She is buying some from a guy that has a Gray . Still strange to me

Poor BB is having trouble around his neck with new feathers itching. I scratched and helped all I could yesterday while he licked my finger. He is turning into such a sweetie. Will coconut oil help ? Or just use Aloe ? And how do I apply it just rub in ? Mist ?

NO! Don't put anything on the feathers.

What I do is after their baths, I rub a little aloe gel on my fingers, and then apply it directly to the skin on the neck in the itchy areas...

Ok NO nothing on feathers lol Thanks

What about the coconut oil in food ? Do you use that ?

I've never used coconut oil on anything with mine.

Yeah, you never want to put anything that might possibly gunk up their feathers, or that the bird might perceive as gunking up his feathers.

1. It can interfere with the feathers ability to supply lift in flight;
2. It can interfere with the ability to provide insulation and regulate body temperature;
3. The bird may tear out feathers it thinks have become nasty - leading to plucking disorders.

There were a surprising number of big macs that were brought in as "pluckers" that stopped their "plucking disorders" the minute they were introduced to the concept of regular bathing...

Which just infuriated me to no end!

I bet it did make you mad. He is doing ok everywhere except around his neck. The feathers there are finally coming in. You remember the pic I posted the day I brought him home you thought he was plucking. Well that area is finally getting a few feathers. Two months now Whew. Poor booger has had a time with it. Hmm Booger... good name uh LOL

There is an older thread here (maybe several), regarding the saving of feathers. LOTS of bird people do it. It really surprised me as to how many people do. I admit, I also thought it was a tad 'strange', and thought WHY in the world do people do it lol, until I realized many do it for crafts. I think some people just save them for reasons unknown too....

I admit, after years of having birds, I had never even thought of saving feathers. ....UNTIL, I heard of someone making a beautiful 'tribute' to her beloved bird in a frame. Even though her young bird is alive and well, it was such a unique and nice thing to do I thought. In the frame were feathers from her bird of various colors and sizes arranged into designs around the bird's picture, ands it's name. I now have (probably not enough yet) feathers from everyone so that ONE DAY when I might feel like it lol... I might make something like that.