Just a question I have been pondering today

[psychocircus91]

Does anyone have a parrot who flies frequently (nearly daily) and is also a significant plucker?
I know I have seen a few barberers who are flighted, but was just curious about the plucking topic.

Just curious, it doesn't pertain to any of my birds at the moment.

 

[chris-md]

Theoretically it’s possible. Parker barbers, but I’ve worked hard with him on his flying.

What you need to understand about barbering is every bird does it differently. They have their own preferred target areas. Chest and abdomen are the most common. Others may or may not go after tail feathers or primary feathers.

And their target can change every year. Parker isnt touching his his shoulders/top of wings nearly as much as he did last year.

In the last 18 months he’s started targeting his primary feathers, something I don’t think he’s done before. 30 months its been his tail feathers.

So this puts a damper on his flight work for several months until his feathers grow back agai in August/September. Once they are back, I absolutely will get him flying daily working on recall.

 

[psychocircus91]

Chris, Parker definitely came to mind, as I've followed a couple of your threads.

While a plucker of chest/abdomen/shoulders could certainly still have flight capabilities, my curiosity is more so the correlation between flight and plucking behaviors. Looking for anecdotal evidence, I suppose.

 

[texsize]

My CAG Bella plucks her chest feathers and I suspect she barbers her wing feathers.
her chest is not completely bare it's just not the normal fluffy look she should have.

She flies very well and frequently. She can accurately land wherever she wants.

The reason I suspect barbering is that the tips of her feathers come to a V shape instead of a rounded curve that is natural. I don't know if "barbering" is the correct word for what she is doing to those feathers.

 

[SailBoat]

Our DYH Amazon plucks his rump (tail) feathers and is fully flighted, free flight (in home), multiple times during the day flier as he and we move about our home. I have not seen a connection in the want /need to fly and plucking regardless of which feathers are involved. What I have seen is that distraction from plucking by reducing the irritation of the skin 'can' in some cases reduce plucking.

NOTE: I do not recommend what we do. It is not for everyone as it requires a major changes in lifestyle.

 

[psychocircus91]

Thanks for the input guys.

Flower came to me with some plucking behaviors (although is not bare), primarily of the chest/abdomen. She is my only bird who is not flighted (yet). I am under the impression that she has lived most of her life clipped, but it is hard to know for sure.

 

[SailBoat]

There is a test that you can try to determine if your Parrot had at some point in the past been fully flighted. It is not 100% as the length of time between being fully flighted and not can effect the results.

With your Parrot comfortably latched to your finger(s) preform a quick drop. Just large enough to require your Parrot to use its wings to maintain balance. If the wings do not open and/or there is serious problems with balance that is not a good sign. Next is to complete the same, but this time a larger (longer) drop and a bit quicker. A previous Flier will not only spread its wings but flap and develop a bit of lift. The lift you will feel is felt in the reduction in weight of your Parrot.

As part of the Amazon Forum, there is a Sticky Thread Titled: I Love Amazons, ... Within that huge Thread there is a Segment Titled something like: Refledging an Older Amazon. Very worth your time to read that Segment. Enjoy!

 

[Scott]

I cannot find a correlation with my flock, Don. All 5 of my Goffins fly; one barbers, another plucks only on the chest. The rest are in excellent feather.

 

[GaleriaGila]

My CAG Bella plucks her chest feathers and I suspect she barbers her wing feathers.
her chest is not completely bare it's just not the normal fluffy look she should have.

She flies very well and frequently. She can accurately land wherever she wants.

The reason I suspect barbering is that the tips of her feathers come to a V shape instead of a rounded curve that is natural. I don't know if "barbering" is the correct word for what she is doing to those feathers.

The Rb barbered his mid-wing feathers (confirmed by our vet) a couple of years ago ... no idea why, but it stopped as abruptly as it started. Yep, that "V" look is exactly what was pointed out to me by the vet, in about half of the feathers; the other half was chewed to the skin.

 

[texsize]

Thanks GaleriaGila for the information.

Texsize