Are these stress bars?

[Dostc426]

Hello everyone!
I just noticed these blackish freckling spots on Cygni's left wing, are these stress bars? He doesn't seem to have them on his right wing and I really want to get to the bottom of this! He is currently very hormonal and nippy and the air is a little dry. He is a very healthy birdie as far as I am aware of, he is on a complete pellet diet of all natural pellets and veggie pellets, as well as fresh fruit.
Any and all insight is appreciated!

 

[Calpurnia]

Doesn't look like stress bars; these usually cut a straight line all the way across a feather. This damage looks more like wear and tear to me.

 

[Monica]

Feather bronzing.


Does he eat any vegetables???

 

[Dostc426]

Feather bronzing.


Does he eat any vegetables???

Hi Monica!
I offer him vegetables everyday with his fruit, usually broccoli, but I also try green beans, carrots, bell pepper, corn even, you name it, for years with no success! Both uncooked and cooked, no fruit, etc. that's why I'm glad in the very least he eats vegetable pellets though I know they are not the same. He is very particular in his ways. My next attempt is will be juicing! We have owned him for three years now and this just popped up within this past month after we moved.

 

[Macawnutz]

The little black line?

 

[Monica]

Ah, he's one of those guys!


I wonder if a chop/mash diet would work? I mean, chop various vegetables very fine (and a little fruit), then mix a *tiny* bit of seed into it and offer first thing in the morning. If need be, it may require removing all food at night, then offering the chop/mash first thing for a couple of hours.


With how little feather bronzing I'm seeing (just damage to the feather, causing the color to "wear" off), it might not be anything to be worried about. This can occur from playing, sleeping weird, petting/grooming, etc.

 

[JLcribber]

It's not stress bars. A few "specks" of black wouldn't concern me. Just looks like normal wear and tear.

 

[Dostc426]

The little black line?

The black line is included, its almost like black freckling across some of his feathers on his right wing.

 

[Dostc426]

Ah, he's one of those guys!


I wonder if a chop/mash diet would work? I mean, chop various vegetables very fine (and a little fruit), then mix a *tiny* bit of seed into it and offer first thing in the morning. If need be, it may require removing all food at night, then offering the chop/mash first thing for a couple of hours.


With how little feather bronzing I'm seeing (just damage to the feather, causing the color to "wear" off), it might not be anything to be worried about. This can occur from playing, sleeping weird, petting/grooming, etc.

Oh yes, is is incredibly picky lol! I've attempted it once, however that was years ago and was quickly discouraged at the time. I'll give that a try! I'm just worried of it going bad quickly, though I know it can be stored in the freezer!
He is a rough when he plays around, lol, though I just find it odd that its not on both of his wings. He is beginning to molt, so I am going to see what happens when he loses those feathers and hopefully they are gone!

 

[Monica]

Fresh food can be left out for several hours. Cooked foods shouldn't be left out for as long.

And yes, you can freeze a chop/mash recipe.


You need to try and provide the chop every day for at least an hour or two in the morning before giving him his regular food.


Perhaps with the molt, he'll replace those damaged feathers!

 

[Dostc426]

Fresh food can be left out for several hours. Cooked foods shouldn't be left out for as long.

And yes, you can freeze a chop/mash recipe.


You need to try and provide the chop every day for at least an hour or two in the morning before giving him his regular food.


Perhaps with the molt, he'll replace those damaged feathers!

I'll look into some fun chop recipes and proper storage! Thank you so much for your input! It will be a challenge at first because I leave for work early in the morning, but I have a half hour window each morning that will at least introduce it to him!
I sure hope so! Either way he is due for a vet checkup in march/april so if it for some reason seems to get worse, its time for a vet visit!

 

[Doublete]

What about a birdie bread? I sneak all sorts of veggies, pumpkin,squash, spinach, whatever I think I can get away with (flax, oats, etc)... my guys love it!

 

[Dartman]

Lurch had bronzing all over the edges of his feathers and he tended to fly a lot and run around. He really didn't like showers but when it was warm enough I'd spritze him till he was soaked and his feathers would loose a lot if it and brighten up.
Dobby always seems to looke bright and every feather in place even though he doesn't get as many showers as I'd like. He used to use a shower cage for Momazon but since he's been here when I tried it he looked at me like are you nuts, this isn't my shower...
Maybe he's just more fastidious about his grooming or more careful about how he moves around who knows. Usually once they molt they get nice new feathers and all the worn spots go away till they wear em out again.

 

[Dostc426]

What about a birdie bread? I sneak all sorts of veggies, pumpkin,squash, spinach, whatever I think I can get away with (flax, oats, etc)... my guys love it!

Oh boy I am so ashamed I completely forgot about the possibility of birdie bread! I know for a fact he will eat that! I am going to make him some tomorrow and stuff it full of healthy vegetables! I found a healthy recipe that I am going to use that uses healthy flours and seeds with vegetables!

 

[Dostc426]

Lurch had bronzing all over the edges of his feathers and he tended to fly a lot and run around. He really didn't like showers but when it was warm enough I'd spritze him till he was soaked and his feathers would loose a lot if it and brighten up.
Dobby always seems to looke bright and every feather in place even though he doesn't get as many showers as I'd like. He used to use a shower cage for Momazon but since he's been here when I tried it he looked at me like are you nuts, this isn't my shower...
Maybe he's just more fastidious about his grooming or more careful about how he moves around who knows. Usually once they molt they get nice new feathers and all the worn spots go away till they wear em out again.

Cygni is a clumsy, angsty little boy. He will get so nervous to get to me that he will fall off of his cage and glide to the floor to go find me so I would not be surprised if part of it is from him landing onto the floor. He gets dry skin in the winter too so he is always preening and scratching his little head and nose. He luckily is so excited about baths that he takes one either every day or every other day! His feathers are very bright aside from those freckling spots. Thank you so much for your reassurance! I love hearing everyone else's experiences with their birdies, so its good to hear that you have experienced something like this.

 

[Calpurnia]

Oh boy I am so ashamed I completely forgot about the possibility of birdie bread! I know for a fact he will eat that! I am going to make him some tomorrow and stuff it full of healthy vegetables! I found a healthy recipe that I am going to use that uses healthy flours and seeds with vegetables!

A couple more bird bread tricks that help sneak in as many veggies as possible: use pureed squash/canned pumpkin/veggie baby food instead of oil or water (this will make a dense bread but can help minimize waste!), add a powdered greens mix (I like the Amazing Grass Green Superfood) in place of some of the flour, and use lots of "seasoning" to mask the veggie taste (our birds really like pumpkin pie spice or cinnamon+chili powder).

 

[BirdGuy21]

We make our chop in large batches using a food processor for our birds. We make enough for about four to five quart size bags. We keep one out to use for the week, and freeze the rest. To freeze it we lay it flay and make it even, then lay down flat in the freezer.

 

[Donna turner]

Cheeky had black spots here and there on her wings when I got her They molted away but now the edge of each clipped feather is black. I'm thinking it's a response to some kind of trauma to the feather

 

[Heather F]

Cheeky had black spots here and there on her wings when I got her They molted away but now the edge of each clipped feather is black. I'm thinking it's a response to some kind of trauma to the feather

The blue and green on bird feathers actually doesn't come from pigment, but from tiny structures in the feather that reflect the light in such a way that we see it as blue or green. (That's also why their coloration gets muddy and drab-looking when they get wet.) When feathers rub against other feathers or perches or other surfaces or even preening enough to wear away those tiny structures on the feather surface, the colour disappears. It's called "bronzing" and is perfectly normal, particularly in young birds who roll around like monkeys and play rough bashing their feathers into things all the time.