molted vs plucked feathers

[Chihuahua]

i took these pics today because i feel it's extremely important for anyone new to birds to learn the difference between plucked and molted feathers... it can either prevent unneeded panic or get your fid the help it needs! in the first photo the one on the left is a plucked primary and the one on the right is a naturally molted tail feather... notice the blood and flesh still inside the shaft of the plucked feather. this one was fresh, i have found they dry to a pinkish hue. occasionally the inside is hollow but the molted feather will always come to a point, while the plucked feather generally does not. also note the chewing damage in the second photo. i have learned a lot in my journey with gabby and want to make sure others catch it far sooner than i did. if i had known the difference i might have saved us a lot of grief and stopped it from becoming a habit.

 

[Macawnutz]

I have never heard of or seen a bird that plucks wing feathers. You can find the worst plucking cases and the bird still has its wings and tail. Many birds will strip wing feathers but as they are mounted into a bone they don't pull them.

Is this the first time this has happened?

 

[Chihuahua]

no, it's been happening for a while. he is getting vet treatment for it. he started doing it after a bad clip and never stopped.

 

[Chopper]

It is always nice to have pictures to compare. I've heard about the point and blunt end difference but the picture and the refresher helps. I have two pluckers (before my time) and I'm concerned that they may start doing it again but all of their feathers that I see on the bottom of the cage have the tapered end on the feather.

 

[Chihuahua]

cockatoo who has plucked some flights

http://media.mnn.com/assets/images/2015/05/chicki.jpg

blue crown with plucked wings

http://www.lairofdragonsbirdrescue.com/images/Picture_938.jpg

african grey that has plucked everything including wings

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/53/5a/f1/535af1bd24783f9c047ea3d467e516c6.jpg

another grey

http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g7/satyrelyre/Gracie2.jpg

ekkie with plucked wings

http://i2.dailyrecord.co.uk/incoming/article3248777.ece/ALTERNATES/s615/Jasper-the-parrot.jpg

yeah, i find it hard to believe you have never seen it. i've been into birds for seven months and i just pulled these from a quick google search @Macawnutz

 

[Macawnutz]

I was not saying that it wasn't possible, I was saying it's uncommon and that I personally have never heard of or seen one. Yes I have seen drastic images online of horribly plucked birds just completely naked but personally I have never heard of one removing wing feathers. I've been into birds for 18 years.

I also did not believe your bird to be such a drastic FDB case which is why I questioned it.

 

[Chopper]

Those pictures are so sad. I need to go to PetSmart and buy some doggie sweaters. Or make some sweaters. Oh dear, naked birds need covering.

 

[Chihuahua]

his wing is nearly fully feathered. when a new flight is coming in usually when it's almost fully grown out he will chew at it for a while and then pluck it out. he doesn't pluck often but when he does it's invariably a new flight feather. my goal is to get him fully flighted and then wean him off the collar and see how he does.

 

[Applebutter]

I have never heard of or seen a bird that plucks wing feathers. You can find the worst plucking cases and the bird still has its wings and tail. Many birds will strip wing feathers but as they are mounted into a bone they don't pull them.

Is this the first time this has happened?

I don't if this the same thing but I once stupidly gave my female conure a sleeping tent and afterward she plucked from her neck down including the tops of her wing feathers. The plucking stopped after I removed her tent...dumb, dumb, dumb I know.

 

[jmfleish]

The pictures of the feathers you posted in first post are not of a plucked feather, that is a broken feather. You can see because it's missing the whole end of the shaft. I don't know that you can tell the difference between a feather that comes out naturally and a feather that is literally plucked out unless the feather that is plucked is plucked out before the feather is done growing and still has blood in it. In that case, you will still see the whole feather and it's end, but there will still be blood in it. That's how Reggie plucks his feathers and you know he's plucking them because not only is the shaft still full of blood but there is blood everywhere. What you are showing is not a plucked feather but a broken feather. If your bird were picking, that feather would show signs of damage at the end where he chewed on it. It's cleanly broken. My guess is your bird is having problems growing his flights out because he doesn't have enough feathers on either side to support the new feathers growing in.

 

[jmfleish]

Here is a picture of Reggie who started out pulling his tail feathers out and gradually moved to other feathers. His wing feathers were the last ones he went after and he still grows a few of them. It took him years to get to this state of nakedness. He only goes after blood feathers when they are growing out as they seem to bother him. He has been tested for everything and went through a bout of zinc poisoning treatments for several months about six years ago. We never got his levels to come down but I did recently have him tested again and they are down but still elevated, just not as high as they were. I believe his picking is due to the zinc issue that we never seemed to be able to control and never did figure out where the zinc was coming from.

 

[Chihuahua]

The pictures of the feathers you posted in first post are not of a plucked feather, that is a broken feather. You can see because it's missing the whole end of the shaft. I don't know that you can tell the difference between a feather that comes out naturally and a feather that is literally plucked out unless the feather that is plucked is plucked out before the feather is done growing and still has blood in it. In that case, you will still see the whole feather and it's end, but there will still be blood in it. That's how Reggie plucks his feathers and you know he's plucking them because not only is the shaft still full of blood but there is blood everywhere. What you are showing is not a plucked feather but a broken feather. If your bird were picking, that feather would show signs of damage at the end where he chewed on it. It's cleanly broken. My guess is your bird is having problems growing his flights out because he doesn't have enough feathers on either side to support the new feathers growing in.

I assure you that he is in fact plucking. He DOES chew it--you can see chewing damage all up and down the shaft, and I literally sit there and watch him rip them off. He did not chew the tip but there is DEFINITELY chewing damage in the middle of the feather. I've also found feathers with the pointed tip that had blood inside and he has also made his own wing bleed. I can post a video if you think I'm lying?

 

[Chihuahua]

the circled locations are chewing damage

 

[jmfleish]

I assure you that he is in fact plucking. He DOES chew it--you can see chewing damage all up and down the shaft, and I literally sit there and watch him rip them off. He did not chew the tip but there is DEFINITELY chewing damage in the middle of the feather. I've also found feathers with the pointed tip that had blood inside and he has also made his own wing bleed. I can post a video if you think I'm lying?

Well, what you showed with that specific feather shows no chewing damage at all, especially on the part where it is broken. It is an absolutely clean break and almost looks cut. Perhaps you can show a different picture of a chewed feather because that one does not looked plucked and is not a good picture of a plucked feather so all you are doing is confusing people.

 

[jmfleish]

the circled locations are chewing damage

View attachment 215882

This is still not chewing damage...I'll see if I can find you a plucked feather.

 

[Chihuahua]

It really is chewing damage, I promise. It's hard to see in the picture but it is there.

 

[Chihuahua]

 

[Applebutter]

the circled locations are chewing damage

View attachment 215882

Do you have a photo of him? Here's the aftermath of the sleeping tent I had given my conure and yes ( in case anyone should inquire) she was vet checked afterward as well. She no longer gets sleeping tents.

 

[Chihuahua]

Here is his wing showing significant chewing damage

 

[Chihuahua]

Here is a feather that was DEFINITELY plucked--see the pointed tip and pink inside? showing chewing damage along the shaft (the lighter spots right by the shaft are from chewing)