What should i do about a Broken tail feather?

[SleepyLuca]

My almost two year old conure has a broken tail feather and it won’t fall out. I can tell it’s bothering him because he won’t leave it alone, but I don’t know how to help him. Is there a way I could maybe trim it off or pluck it? I really don’t wanna hurt him and I don’t want him to have this stupid feather stuck on him and irritating him like it has been :’) it’s been a few days since I noticed it’s been getting worse, so if you have any suggestions on what to do, let me know! ^^’

 

[chris-md]

Is this a blood feather or a fully mature feather?

If blood feather, it must be plucked.

If it’s just a normal feather, you can certainly trim it if it’s a bother.

 

[Jexnell]

When Phoenix was young he was not graceful at all. When his first molt came around he had five broken tail feather stubs. If the end didn't fall off when the break happened I would just clip it off at the break and leave the attached stub alone. During the next molt he replaced all of his tail feathers.

 

[HeatherG]

When Phoenix was young he was not graceful at all. When his first molt came around he had five broken tail feather stubs. If the end didn't fall off when the break happened I would just clip it off at the break and leave the attached stub alone. During the next molt he replaced all of his tail feathers.
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That’s what I was going to suggest. If the feather is cracked and half broken off, clip or cut it at the break.

Make the broken tail feather less fun to mess with and maybe you will be less likely to end up with a feather chewing bird.

 

[wrench13]

Salty had this goofy tail feather that got twisted around, for weeks and one day he yanked it out, himself.

 

[Rico_Tiel]

Depends on what it is. If it is a fully formed feather then you can either leave it or clip off the broken part.

If it is still developing, it will have blood flow so if that is broken, he will bleed so it’s best to remove it, cauterize it, and get him to a veterinarian afterwards.