Perhaps silly ? - Broken tail feathers

Cthebird · Nov 14, 2017

This could very well be a silly question, but I'm wondering if I should help my Hahn's macaw with a couple of his broken tail feathers (open link below to see photo). Somehow during the course of his usual birdy gymnastics he bent two of his tail feathers too much. For a while his tail was just awkward looking, but lately he's been working on trying to bite them off at the kinks. He's trying and trying, but they are still hanging on by what looks like a thread.

Should I just let my bird boy keep working on them? Or could I help him out by cutting them at the kinks with scissors? As I said, one is hanging on by a thread, so I'm sure there would not be any blood involved. I have to look a little closer at the second one.

https://imgur.com/a/oDH7m

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YUMgrinder · Nov 14, 2017

mine break their tail feathers constantly. If you pluck them they will grow back and if you leave the stub of a feather it won't grow back till it falls out. So, cut it at the break and leave it to fall out on it's own in 6 to 12 months or pluck it and it should start growing back immediately. Plucking them surely hurts temporarily.

SailBoat · Nov 14, 2017

As stated above, cut the feather at the bend point.

NOTE: Unless you are 'Showing' your Parrot, there is not reason to 'pulling' a feather. It is just not worth the potential problems.

FlyBirdiesFly · Nov 14, 2017

When Ducky was a baby, he was clipped and very clumsy. He broke every single one of his tail feathers, and all I did was trim them at the breaking point. Pulling them will cause unnecessary pain and stress to your baby. Thank goodness he lost all that clumsiness after he became flighted. He has not broken a tail feather since then, and is an excellent flyer and not the least bit clumsy. How old is your bird? They should grow out of this baby clumsiness, especially if left flighted. Also, the feathers come in stronger after the first molt. My conure Kermit is going through his first molt right now and I can see how much stronger these shiny new tail feathers are. And the color of his new blue primary is stunning!

Cthebird · Nov 15, 2017

We ended up cutting it off at the broken point. It was almost off anyway. His tail looks a lot better and he's stopped mauling at it. I would not have the courage to pluck the feather. He has been under too much stress as it is having eye drops put in his eyes. Then next week he'll be in a smaller cage at my brother's house, although the drops will have stopped then.

I can't wait until we get back from vacation when he can finally get back to normal again. All of the stress he's been under has undone some of the training. He's so afraid of the drops he doesn't even step up like he once did.

Cas27 · Nov 16, 2017

I would leave them know one plucks or cuts for them in the wild.

Perhaps silly ? - Broken tail feathers

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Advice for a new macaw owner

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