Pin Feather Problem

[PerfectlyParrot]

I am sorry these are not very good pictures (he was such a sport about it!). But E has this on the base right before his tail. Best way to describe it is a lump of skin with two keratin sheaths inside it, the lump of skin can be lifted up. Anyone seen anything like this before? Ingrown feather?

 

[WenM]

feather cyst?

 

[srtiels]

From the location your describing it may be the preen (Uropygial) gland. You can see the location on the young birds rump below.

 

[birdlvr466]

Kathy does it seem like two feathers are growing in, in the same follicle?

 

[WingedVictory]

Hi, is the spot in question in the center of the bird or off to one side. Are the sheaths empty?

gary

 

[Peachfaced]

Almost looks like a preening gland to me.

 

[Kathy]

First thing I thought of was preening gland.

 

[PerfectlyParrot]

It really does not look like a cyst as it can be lifted up and it does not look like a preening gland (unless the feathers grew through the preening gland?).

Gary it is in the middle right at the base before the tail feathers, the white tufts you see in the pictures are what is growing out of the top of the skin sheath. Both sheaths have feathers growing out of them. The last picture which shows the tail feathers give the best idea of where it is at.

 

[WingedVictory]

It may be the new feather is pushing the old sheath out that was broken off. It looks like the feather is developing and the skin around it is moving with it and has not pulled back. Does your bird have another developing feather to compare with?

gary

 

[PerfectlyParrot]

Tons! He is going thorough a major molt right now. There is no discharge and the skin is taught, not like it is full of any sort of liquid. It just seems to be a tube of skin wrapped around the sheaths.

I'm sorry Pat I missed your question. The piece of skin that surrounds the sheaths seems awfully big to be one follicle but I cannot tell if there is skin between the two sheaths or not.

Should I do anything? Or since its not infected and the feathers are coming out just give it time? Will the keratin reabsorb if the skin does not pull down?

 

[WingedVictory]

I don't see a problem. Keep an eye on the feather for piece of mind and future reference.

gary

 

[PerfectlyParrot]

Ok Gary, thank you very much.

 

[Birdasaurus]

If I'm oriented correctly when looking at the pics, it looks exactly like my Hahn's preen gland. He has what looks like feather growing out of it as well, and I didn't know when I first got him so I asked my vet when he went in for his checkup and he said he had a perfectly normal gland there.

 

[PerfectlyParrot]

That very well could be it Andrea, I have never noticed it before I guess. I know one thing whatever it is it looks awfully weird!

 

[Birdasaurus]

That's what I thought too!

 

[WingedVictory]

Here is the preen gland on a cockatoo.

 

[PerfectlyParrot]

I don't know Gary, it really looks nothing like that on E since there are feathers growing out of whatever it is and you can actually lift the skin part up straight so its only attached at the base. Maybe its a Macaw thing lol, since Andrea's is also.

 

[Birdasaurus]

I wish I could get a picture of Honu's fo comparison, but there's no way that butthead is going to let me....

I can't get a close skin look at his right now, but I can identify it right away because as I move the green feathers away from the base of his tail there's a small tuft of pure white over it.

 

[WingedVictory]

Here is a B&W pic from one of my Avian Medicine books:

 

[Sharpie]

I know some species of birds have what's called a 'wick' feather that grows out of the center of the preen gland. That would be my guess.