Feather question? Black part on feather shaft.

[Oli]

Hello all, long time no post. Juliet (pineapple green cheek) and I are doing well. She just celebrated her 6th hatchday recently and we are very close. I understand her very well now and pretty much all severe biting and behavioral problems have subsided with age.

She recently had a yearly checkup at an avian vet about three months ago and they said she looked great. She's in a big molt right now and dropped a feather with a black area on it. I'm think it might be blood from inside the shaft from an old blood feather? I'll attach a photo and please let me know what you think. It looks a bit scruffy because she plays with feathers after she molts them.

Oli

 

[MrLaurieKeats]

Bumping up your thread

 

[Skarila]

Hi there!

Hard to say from a single feather, but as you said, it is possible the feather was damaged and later on was molted out. Is this a single feather that is like this, or is there more? It looks like a wing feather from the outside (not a flight feather), which is a very rare spot for a bird to start plucking. I hope it was just a freak accident with the feather and it molted out evenually

 

[Oli]

Hi there!

Hard to say from a single feather, but as you said, it is possible the feather was damaged and later on was molted out. Is this a single feather that is like this, or is there more? It looks like a wing feather from the outside (not a flight feather), which is a very rare spot for a bird to start plucking. I hope it was just a freak accident with the feather and it molted out evenually

Thank you! Yes this is the only feather I've found like this.

 

[Skarila]

Thank you! Yes this is the only feather I've found like this.

In this case I wouldn't worry then if it's just a single feather.
We are all worried mother/father hens to our flighted "babies" and always jump on every single thing that is off from the usual routine and often we think of the worst in those moments! But kudos to you for being observant!