Pin feather. Do I preen?

[Finch_Breeder]

I noticed today Rocky had a pin feather on his neck, he can't seem to reach it.
Do I "preen" it? If so, how?
Cheers, Mike

 

[goalerjones]

I get my Hahns face, head and neck feathers for him. I feel with my fingernail for the sheaths sturdiness then gently crack it if it gives easily. I then continue looking for more until he gets tired of it or I run out of feathers. Afterwards I blow the area to clean off the cracked sheaths.

 

[Featheredsamurai]

I do the same thing as goalerjones. At first it can be a little scary, if you get to the blood they might whip around and try to bite you or scream, it hurts when we accidentally pinch the blood. Rosie never bites me hard but it always surprises me. Afterwords she almost immediately puffs out her face and leans towards me to preen her more. Sometimes Rosie bows her head really low as I'm petting her head so I get a good view and don't have to worry about hurting her on accident.

 

[henpecked]

They'll let you know if it's not" ripe " yet. yes it does hurt . A good 'mate" learns that quick. If you pay close attention , they'll "lead" to the ones they want you to get.

 

[henpecked]

While on the subject, preening. Preening is a everyday event between mates, it's not something they do only when they have pin feathers. If you want to bond with your fid, then learn to preen and do it everyday. It's the act of searching that leads to bonding. My pet hen and i preen each other several times a day , everyday. You don't have to find any thing, just carefully take your time and look. 90% of the time i won't "pick" at a feather but systematically search her head,face,under the beak, etc. We know where the "pinners" are and discuss every day about if they're "ready" or not. You can explore all the way to the skin if you like but the act of looking is what creates the bond. If they're preening you, that also means they want it from you. It has nothing to do with petting,scratching , that sort of thing. It's the unselfish act of caring enough to look. Just my .02 worth.

 

[Remy]

I am not allowed to preen Darcy, but he HAS to preen me!