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Very concerned about plucking!?!

CrazyBirdChick

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Ive been finding like 2 -3 of these kind of feathers laying around the past few days

20161109_193552.jpg

They are from the Blu's back area between the wings.

It's hard to get a real good picture but this is the tip. It doesn't look broken or bloody.

20161109_193416.jpg

I wasn't really too concerned until just now, when Blu was hanging out on me. All of a sudden I saw some down feathers poking out!

20161109_192219.jpg
20161109_192213.jpg
20161109_192229.jpg

I'm very worried that he might be plucking. He does seem to preen that area quite a bit.

But then 5 minutes later when I put him back in his area (when his body was not all contorted anymore, from trying to eat my jeans & belt) his feathers looked pretty normal

20161109_192725.jpg

20161109_195019.jpg

*Please excuse the mess, I am going to clean up after he finishes eating. Also sorry the pictures are not that great. I am freaking out a bit and tried to get pics as fast as possible.

Does it looks like he could be plucking?
 

CrazyBirdChick

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Whew! Thanks so much, Sarah!
Blu is young but he's not really a baby. He's 19 months old. I hope that doesn't change your perspective?
 

Macawnutz

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It doesn't. Those feathers look ratty but I would not be concerned with plucking. Downy puffs can stick out anywhere. :)
 

JLcribber

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Ive been finding like 2 -3 of these kind of feathers laying around the past few days
Just to put this in perspective for you. When you brushed your hair today you lost or pulled out way over 100 hairs. That was just today.

A bird has more feathers than you have hair. Feathers die and fall out constantly replaced by new ones without even moulting. An "average moult" may produce anywhere from 20 to 100 feathers in a day depending on type of feather. That is with no plucking at all. (Your bird lost 3 small body feathers in a few days :)

Too much worrying will cause you to pluck my dear. :)
 

Mizzely

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My quakers look like that more often than they don't and aren't pluckers ;)
 

Jobot

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Flynn looked scruffy, and dropped way more than that at his worst. His overpreening was way asymmetrical and too much. He would spend his entire day preening. Just, no time for anything else.

It's not uncommon for fluff to stick out occasionally. If he just keeps losing feathers on a daily basis, and starts looking super scruffy, then I would worry. But an occasional lost feather is nothing to worry about.
 

CrazyBirdChick

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Ok, I try not to worry but I am kind of neurotic sometimes. You all have eased my mind for now & thank you so much for that.

I'm just curious of one thing....what does the quill look like on a plucked feather?

Does an unplucked feather look pointy? Can it have a square tip?
 

JLcribber

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A plucked feather usually has some blood on it.
 

Lodah

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Pilo always has them every second day or so... and he is as healthy as a GCC! Was going to say OX, but hey... he has feelings too! :)
 

Lwalker

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If it helps ease your mind, Cricket has a spot on his back that down regularly pokes out of...it always reminds me of a toddler with a stubborn cowlick! Sometimes I tuck it in but eventually it springs back out.
 
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