Blood feathers?

[EnglishBudgMom]

Hello all,
So, Bubbles has been molting.... and molting.... feathers EVERYWHERE! He had a nail trim at the Avian Vet recently, so his grip isn't as "grippy" as it was and he slipped off my shoulder tonight when I bent down to get something off the floor. He can flutter a short distance now, so it's not a super hard landing. He landed on an empty paper toy box, and then fluttered to the floor. I picked him up, and noticed a larger feather had fallen. Upon further inspection, I found the shaft on the bird body end was dark with blood. Unlike other shed feathers that have an empty clear quill part. I quickly toweled him and inspected his body best I could (he was MAD at this point); and found no bleeding that I could see. I put his now very rumpled self back in his cage and left him alone. I cleaned his cage a few minutes ago and found an other similar feather that had been shed awhile ago I assume because the blood in the shaft was all dried up. Do birds always bleed when they loose a blood feather or did this one just come out a little early for molt and isn't a true "blood feather"?? I couldn't even get blood to squeeze out when I squeezed the feather shaft. *thanks again for all your patience, hints, and info, this is our first bird

 

[taxidermynerd]

When a blood feather molts out, the blood supply has dried up by then, becoming just a regular feather. Generally a blood feather only bleeds if it is pulled out or broken. It's possible he bonked himself on something (say, a toy or the side of a cage) and it just rustled that feather the wrong way. The blood also dries after a blood feather comes out from being broken or pulled, that's probably why you couldn't get blood from the feather.

I'm glad your little guy is ok though!

 

[Ripshod]

@EnglishBudgMom can you get a few photos of the suspect photos. Loss of new feathers can be a sign of disease. Don't panic, the way you care for him automatically rules out infection or parasite.

 

[Zara]

That sounds like a broken blood feather, not shed. Shed feathers are always clean with no blood in or on them.

 

[Ripshod]

It's like they are shedding early, while they are growing in, which is a big problem. We really need pics of the feathers to know if they're broken or shed. We also need to see if they're deformed at all (PBFD etc).

 

[JLcribber]

Your bird broke the feather during this event.

Why can’t he fly?

 

[Zara]

Why can’t he fly?

He´s clipped

I am waiting to get a larger cage because Bubbles is currently clipped (came that way from breeder)

From: Tall or Wide cages??? | Avian Avenue Parrot Forum

 

[JLcribber]

A blood feather is a “new” feather. Not an old feather being moulted out.

 

[EnglishBudgMom]

I was an idiot and didn’t take pictures because I was worried he was bleeding. He got a check up at avian vet before his nail trim (the vet actually did the nails, she suggested it), and he got a clean bill of health. She said he’s molting and going through bird puberty. I think he must have broken the feather last night and the one I found at bottom of cage was from some previous event. I’ve never found blood on him or anywhere in cage. He loves his huge new cage however. Yes, he’s growing out clip from breeder. I just assumed any broken new-not melted out-feather meant massive bleeding.

 

[Ripshod]

Yeah, sounds like it may have been damaged last night and he finished the job off breaking it on the box or the ground. Hence the blood has already dried.
Good news, and nothing to worry about.

 

[EnglishBudgMom]

It's like they are shedding early, while they are growing in, which is a big problem. We really need pics of the feathers to know if they're broken or shed. We also need to see if they're deformed at all (PBFD etc).

I was stupid and didn’t take any, then I cleaned his cage. I googled blood feather and it the feather looked exactly the same, minus all the blood everywhere (on bird or feather)

 

[JaneLane]

I've never seen a shed blood feather with blood on it, I believe feathers are similar to tree leaves, when they're plucked off too soon they "bleed" sap, but when a tree is ready to drop a leaf it cuts off the sap and oxygen supply and the leaf falls off like a dried up baby umbilical cord with no sap. So it is likely Bubbles broke his blood feather the other day and the blood simply dried up. My cockatiel has broken her blood feathers just flipping her wings and doing her bojangles dance, there have been times when I have not noticed the broken feather until she shakes it out, usually they are bloody as you described.

Is Bubbles clumsy? My Cockatiel was never taught how to fly as a baby and as a result is extremely clumsy and has to be watched whenever she flies, she even prefers walking to flying which we chalk up to being hand raised because she is perfectly healthy and has some strong "tornado" making wings, two days ago she circled around an entire room without bumping into anything, we were very impressed.

If Bubbles is clumsy I suggest watching him very closely during his out time especially since he is growing out a clip. a broken blood feather is a lot easier to fix than a broken leg or beak.

Did the vet hold down his wings when they clipped Bubbles' nails? That could have cracked one.
Either way, I'm happy Bubbles is fine!

 

[Fergus Mom]

So glad Bubbles is okay and nothing to worry about. Mine are shedding down feathers like crazy now.

 

[EnglishBudgMom]

I've never seen a shed blood feather with blood on it, I believe feathers are similar to tree leaves, when they're plucked off too soon they "bleed" sap, but when a tree is ready to drop a leaf it cuts off the sap and oxygen supply and the leaf falls off like a dried up baby umbilical cord with no sap. So it is likely Bubbles broke his blood feather the other day and the blood simply dried up. My cockatiel has broken her blood feathers just flipping her wings and doing her bojangles dance, there have been times when I have not noticed the broken feather until she shakes it out, usually they are bloody as you described.

Is Bubbles clumsy? My Cockatiel was never taught how to fly as a baby and as a result is extremely clumsy and has to be watched whenever she flies, she even prefers walking to flying which we chalk up to being hand raised because she is perfectly healthy and has some strong "tornado" making wings, two days ago she circled around an entire room without bumping into anything, we were very impressed.

If Bubbles is clumsy I suggest watching him very closely during his out time especially since he is growing out a clip. a broken blood feather is a lot easier to fix than a broken leg or beak.

Did the vet hold down his wings when they clipped Bubbles' nails? That could have cracked one.
Either way, I'm happy Bubbles is fine!

He is sort of clumsy now that you mention it, both in and out of his cage. He's adjusted well to his new huge cage, but I'll see him stumble when changing perches or trying to get someplace and he'll spin around upside down, then right himself. He still has mostly clipped wings, but I have noticed he can flutter for short distances and from my shoulder to a perch inside his cage now. He would drop like a rock before. Our vet suggested we let his wings grow and leave him flighted, and we plan on doing that.

The Vet tech held him in a small towel while our Vet clipped his nails. He's gotten much more clumsy now that the sharp tips of his nails are gone, he slips around on our shoulders. I'm just super glad I didn't get the bleeding profusely, blood all over, broken feather. I just made him mad by inspecting him for blood right after.

 

[JaneLane]

@EnglishBudgMom His flight feathers may be growing in unevenly, our Budgie's feathers do that and I think it is just like how our nails don't all necessarily grow at the same speed but it can cause them to fly in circles or lopsided, until they're all in watching him closely will help avoid further injuries. I'm glad Bubbles' blood feather didn't turn out to be something serious, I once thought my Cockatiel had a hole under her wing, it turned out to be a bruise but it really looked like a hole.
As long as the vet tech didn't hold him too tightly then that hopefully that wasn't the cause, Bubbles might have just flipped his wing the wrong way and it got broken it but I'm glad Bubbles is okay