Broken Tail feather

[Marci11]

Help! Bells (ARN) broke his tail feather! It was 12 inches long. Not knowing what to do, I made the decision to cut it where it was broke (6 inches). It did not bleed and he made no motion to indicate that it bothered him when I cut it. I LOVED his tail feather and am scared it will not grow again. Has anyone had any experience here with this?

Maybe the question I should be asking is how do feathers grow out? When I found him, his wing feathers were hacked and not knowing any better, I took him to the vet to have them clip him. I am now growing his feathers out so he can fly and those feathers are growing out with a flat tip.

Will his tail feather grow out flat as well?

I have heard of pulling feathers. If a feather is pulled will a new one grow in its place?

Hopefully these are not that stupid of questions. But, like I said when I joined...I'll be asking tons of questions so that I can give Bells the best life!!!

 

[copswife30]

I had to cut one of Simba's the other week for the same reason it was broke and bleeding, I cut it about an inch from where it was hanging and the next day he pulled it out himself, and yes they will grow back

 

[Tangle Elf]

All feathers grow approximately once a year during a molt. He'll lose all his feathers (not at the same time) and get brand new ones. The tail feather will grow out then. As far as the feathers on his wings, I'm not sure what you mean by the flat tip. Do you mean the ones that were cut? It's unusual for vets to clip feathers while they're growing. Usually they'll trim fully grown feathers. They don't continue to grow, they just replaced during the next molt. If they were trimmed while they were coming in, they will continue to get longer, but with the cut portion the same. They'll also get replaced during the next molt. The only time you need to pull a feather is if it's broken and bleeding.

 

[65sunnyday]

Once a feather has moulted (fallen out) it will grow back naturally, & should look just like the feather he lost, only fresher (LOL) When the new feather first appears, it's called a pinfeather, & looks kind of like a quill. They are VERY sensitive at this time, as they are still supplied w/blood & nerves. Once the feather is fully grown, the blood supply & nerves retreat, & at that time he will remove the sheath (or quill covering) himself. I would go to the library & check out (& eventually read all) the parrot books they have. To give Bells the best life possible, you need to find out as much as you can about parrot physiology & psychology. I know somewhere I've seen at least one book solely about ringnecks & their relatives. You will learn just how amazing these guys really are. For at least a year, every night I went to sleep reading about parrots

 

[Marci11]

Once a feather has moulted (fallen out) it will grow back naturally, & should look just like the feather he lost, only fresher (LOL) When the new feather first appears, it's called a pinfeather, & looks kind of like a quill. They are VERY sensitive at this time, as they are still supplied w/blood & nerves. Once the feather is fully grown, the blood supply & nerves retreat, & at that time he will remove the sheath (or quill covering) himself. I would go to the library & check out (& eventually read all) the parrot books they have. To give Bells the best life possible, you need to find out as much as you can about parrot physiology & psychology. I know somewhere I've seen at least one book solely about ringnecks & their relatives. You will learn just how amazing these guys really are. For at least a year, every night I went to sleep reading about parrots

I have checked out almost every book my library has on Parrots/birds. I'll have to check on amazon to see if I can find one specifically related to the ARN. My husband laughs at me because I go to bed reading either books on parrots or child behavior. lol

 

[cassiesdad]

I don't really have anything more to add about the feathers growing back that hasn't already been said. As for Bells love for his tail,I think all Ringnecks have a real love for their tails! Our IRN, Titan, is extremely vain about it. You can look at his tail, talk to him about it, but lord forbid, DON'T TOUCH IT!! And when he goes through a molt,he looks back at where the tail feathers were,pouts,and looks VERY sad. It's always the same,and Titan is 22 years old...

 

[beakybirdie]

Yes Zeus is in love with his tail, he can spend a good 10 solid minutes just preening the long feathers. If I make an movements towards his tail, he will growl at me, which of course makes me laugh

 

[Missi]

My derbyan youngin' refuses to let his tail grow in! He keeps flapping off his stand & landing on his bum! He is a duck bum!!! He had a new tail feather growing in but this weekend he bent it! OY VEY!

 

[Jazzysmama]

My derbyan youngin' refuses to let his tail grow in! He keeps flapping off his stand & landing on his bum! He is a duck bum!!! He had a new tail feather growing in but this weekend he bent it! OY VEY!

We call Breeze a duck cause he has broken all of his tail feathers off.

 

[cassiesdad]

Yes Zeus is in love with his tail, he can spend a good 10 solid minutes just preening the long feathers. If I make an movements towards his tail, he will growl at me, which of course makes me laugh

Another IRN in love with his tail. Maybe we should get these guys together for a support group, or something...

 

[myrka2004]

It will regrow in 2-3 weeks when he lost one from any of the tail feathers, but if you cut it it need 6 months to grow back.