Flight feathers not replaced, Owlet post made me worried

[Laurasea]

Neptune had every single wing feather cut at six weeks old! Dang the first time breeder. Though she did raise a wonderful baby.
But Owlets post on her cockatiel made me realize......
Neptune has been with me for seven months now. I got him at seven weeks, so he has done a lot of growing. He molted heavily in the fall. He has shed and regrown several flight feathers , and can fly.
But he still has several cut primary feathers. Is this normal?????
I check tomorrow how many are still cut exactly.
Sorry for following your post Owlet, but now I'm worrying....

 

[Jen5200]

Screamer had a terrible clip when she came to me in April. She has molted and has slowly replaced most of them, but there are still a few to go. She can fly and she has been to the vet who told me it just takes a lot of energy to replace those big feathers so it will just take more time. It seems that they are able to grow a couple at a time (those flight are big feathers) and if they are all cut, it feels like it takes FOREVER to get them all replaced. I think Screamer is down to her last pair of cut flights to drop, so we’re almost there. My personal feeling is that if Neptune also had his big molt, that might have delayed some of the flight feather regrowth - since he was also replacing a bunch of other feathers. Of course, this is just my observations with Screamer and you should get a vet to check him out if you are worried.

 

[Laurasea]

Thank you,the internet search was inconclusive....
It said a few months, or at molt, or up to a year...
He had vet check a few months ago, but I didn't ask about timeline for replacement.

 

[ChristaNL]

I heard (so no science involved! Just random observarions) that it usually takes about 2 years to fully replace every feather on the body.

Building feathers is a costly business for the bird (material, energy and they should remain fully functional all the time / unless you are f.e. some type of goose, they drop al the primaries in one go) so it makes sense to make it a long term project.

Sunny has not shed half the stumps (gnawed off feathers) she posesses this past year, so I 'll give her another year before I start worrying
She has been tested for all the scary diseaes and the last batch wat 'okay all over'- so we shall see...

 

[Laurasea]

Thank you. I think with growing into an adult, and general molt. He has used a lot of energy. I can imagine those big flight feathers take a lot.

 

[SailBoat]

There are differences between the species that come into play, but the most important is the overall health of your Parrot and the know available food sources to continually replace the vast energy required to replace feathers, especially flight feathers.

With the many Amazons that have owned our home, replacing flight surface feathers (which includes tail feathers) can take between three and five years depending on the extent of the loss. A normal loss of two too four flight feathers can take three to four months. The same number of feather, if cut, could take much longer as the Parrot had already selected and committed to other feathers being naturally replaced. A full cutting of all three wing flight feather zones can take three to five years with an Amazon.

Place your concerns toward assure a high quality diet and stop watching for the tea pot to boil.

 

[chris-md]

All feathers replace in time, as guaranteed as taxes. Nothing to be worried about.

 

[Laurasea]

Thank you for the reassurance!
He is happily destroying my house, and arguing that he is A Good Boy! When I tell him bad boy. Eats his veggies and pellets. Now I know the true length of three zone flight level replacement. You guys are better than google!!

 

[EllenD]

I would have your CAV take a look at the cut-shafts that are still there, because depending on what they look like, how long they are, what the surrounding follicle looks like, and how much time has passed since they were cut, sometimes the Vet will decide it's better to simply pull them to prompt new ones to start growing-in. It does work, it's just a case-by-case basis as to whether it's called for.