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blood feathers

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Mystics Mom

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Had a very upset Lady crying on phone her Macaw needed help .. Had to pull Blood feather.. This was a deep one! Was rewarded with a very happy silly Macaw .. The plus is He actually liked me afterwords and wouldn't stop kissing me..
just thought this was a good picture to show what a blood feather looks like.. 396687_562667550417197_2026525131_n.jpg
 

Agapornis

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I'm new to bird world, and i've HEARD of blood feathers...but I had no idea what they actually were! :confused: is it like an ingrown hair???? do you take them out with tweezers? do ALL birds get these, or are certain breeds prone to them?

Once again, I learn something new every single time I log into this forum!

Thanks!

Lorinda :tgcc:
 

VictoriaVague

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wow, bet that hurt
 

AmberMuffinz

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I'm new to bird world, and i've HEARD of blood feathers...but I had no idea what they actually were! :confused: is it like an ingrown hair???? do you take them out with tweezers? do ALL birds get these, or are certain breeds prone to them?

Once again, I learn something new every single time I log into this forum!

Thanks!

Lorinda :tgcc:
In order for a feather to grow it needs a blood supply. ALL birds get "blood feathers" as that is technically what a feather is called while it is growing and still has a blood supply to it. When your bird molts and is growing in new feathers you can see this firsthand by taking a close look at the pin feathers. You will notice some have a white shaft up near the top of the new feather and sometimes have a darker look on the bottom, because that part is being supplied with blood. If you are helping preen your bird and you hit one of these feathers still growing in chances are your bird will let you know.

The only reason you would ever need to pull a blood feather is if it breaks and won't stop bleeding. Sometimes you can get it to stop bleeding enough to get the bird to a vet to pull it, but everyone should at least know how to pull one just in case.

Blood Feathers
 

KatherinesBirds

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I am grateful that you posted such a good photo of a blood feather. So many people have recently had problems with emergencies and broken feathers. Your photo makes it very clear what we mean. Thanks! Cute story about the Macaw too! He obviously did not have a problem with you! A blood feather is just a feather that has not fully grown in. It is, to my knowledge, a perfectly normal feather that had a problem (injury or other) before it fully developed and the blood receeded from the shaft.:coffeescreen:
 
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tpoduje

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Amazing, thank you for posting.
 

lupe

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Thanks for the 411 on that. I am new to birds so actually I always wanted to ask about blood feathers.
Great post...~~:eek:
 

merlinsmom13

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I'm so glad you were able to help, I'm so afraid this will happen to us when my DH is home alone :eek: I've tried to coach him in what to do if theres bleeding, but I'm not hopeful it will help :(
 

Agapornis

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Tanya, thank you so much for sending that link to the Tail Feathers Bird Information site. That is a GREAT site, i am bookmarking it now. lots of good info! the article on Blood Feathers was very informative as well.

Lorinda :tgcc:
 

AmberMuffinz

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Tanya, thank you so much for sending that link to the Tail Feathers Bird Information site. That is a GREAT site, i am bookmarking it now. lots of good info! the article on Blood Feathers was very informative as well.

Lorinda :tgcc:
Although I am not Tanya I did supply that link, you're welcome! There are also some videos on youtube explaining how to pull one. I think it's most common in birds with clipped wings, without the support of other feathers it is easier to break their flights growing in. Of course birds that are prone to night frights, 'tiels especially, are more at risk for breaking one too.
 

lalagimp

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Having one that large and clean is awesome. So glad the baby feels better

wpid-2012-07-09_14-21-31_400.jpg

Smaller scale since there is curiosity.
Green cheek conure flight feather that wasn't well guarded by surrounding feathers during new molt from previous clip.
 

Clueless

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I live in fear about blood feathers . . . . . or a toy that can hurt them . . . . . or that they will land wrong when they are fluttering their wings (despite being clipped, Secret is prone to taking off if a bag of treats happens to walk by in the arms of a human) . . . . or (okay, fill in the blank, I'm a worry wart).

The last speaker for our parrot club was a veterinarian - and it was about emergency first aid. Only regret is that I didn't bring a video camera.
 

Bokkapooh

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I only pull blood feathers if it's absolutely necessary. Often times, birds can take care of it if you help stop the bleeding.
 

Wasabisaurus

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I live in fear about blood feathers . . . . . or a toy that can hurt them . . . . . or that they will land wrong when they are fluttering their wings (despite being clipped, Secret is prone to taking off if a bag of treats happens to walk by in the arms of a human) . . . . or (okay, fill in the blank, I'm a worry wart).

The last speaker for our parrot club was a veterinarian - and it was about emergency first aid. Only regret is that I didn't bring a video camera.

I have not watched these videos, but if they were sponsored by Phoenix Landing, I would think they'd be good. There are a number of avian first aid videos. Do you have a first aid kit?

"first aid for birds" - YouTube
 

Renae

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Yikes! The bigger ones look a lot more painful. The clean bulb part on the end is a great indication that it is the full feather too.
 

ilovemyzoo

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Wow. Looks intense. My military cracked the shaft on one of his blood feathers and the vet pulled it out, but I didn't get to see it. He gave me styptic sticks in case it started bleeding again, but it never did. His new feathers have already grown in. :)
I bought styptic powder to stop bleeding in case one of my macaws gets hurt in the future.
 
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