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Help Macaw Broke Tail Feather

Fluffaloo

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Today I put Fumbles in her cage like I normally do because I had to grab something outside and I didn't want to leave her unattended. I was only gone for about 10 minutes and when I came back I noticed one of her long tail feathers on the bottom of the cage along with a few drops of blood. I took her out to make sure she wasn't still bleeding, in which she wasn't and put bird styptic powder on just in case. She seems fine right now and not doing anything out of the ordinary but I don't know what to do. I don't even know how this happened she doesn't have anything she could hurt herself on in the cage. A couple of hours ago we were flight training her inside with the harness on and she was heading for a spot in the kitchen where she shouldn't have been so my husband tried to catch her mid flight. He accidently grabbed the tail a little but not hard and then caught her feet/let her land on him. I don't know if that could have affected anything because it was a couple hours ago but who knows. She has a vet apt on Tuesday but I don't know what to do until then. Here is a picture of the broken tail feather. I also had a pic of the blood in the cage and the front and back of the tail.

I appreciate any advice.
 

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Hankmacaw

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Looks like she broke a blood feather that's why she bled as much as she did. If she is no longer bleeding just leave it like it is until you go to the vet on Tues. He will undoubtedly pull it. You can stick a little antibiotic salve on it tomorrow so you don't start it bleeding again. Poor baby - she will be just fine.
 

Toy

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Relax it happens. Your bird will be fine. It looks like it was a blood feather. They can break easy. It could have gotten cracked when your husband tried to catch him & then he got it caught in the cage bars or swing or toy & broke it worse. Keep checking it to see if the bleeding has totally stopped. Apply pressure, corn starch or styptic powder if needed. It will be painful until it's removed. I'd have the vet pull it. Insist you get to be present, so if you need to remove one in an emergency & there is no vet available you can do it.

My U2 was chewing her feathers before I got her at age 10 months. I don't think the breeder fledged her, so she imprinted the breeder chopping off her wing feathers. Her wing feathers never have any support, so she's always breaking blood feathers. She broke a wing feather off beyond the skin once & I couldn't get the bleeding stopped. I had to rush her to the vet. He showed me how to remove a broken blood feather.
 

Toy

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@Toy Have you considered having your bird's wing(s) imped? @Macawnutz had her scarlet's wings imped and it was very successful.

Imping: Repairing a Bird's Damaged or Clipped Wings
Jasmine would just chew the implanted ones off. She's been chewing her wing & tail feathers off since she was 10 months old (she's now for 20 & 3 months old). She's a chewing machine. We've tried everything to distract her from chewing, but to no avail. She will let a few wing or tail feathers grown into almost full length then off they go. We can't trust to let her out without being watched the whole time, as she is very destructive. Years ago she dismantled the cage lock on her cage door (Original Calif. cage). No idea how she got it apart, but we found it in pieces laying on the floor. She got out while we were at work & chewed my sofa, wood trim on the sofa, chewed 10 inch holes in my drapes, TV cable in 5 places, wall decor, etc. I'm sure Imping would require her to wear a collar for months. I don't think she'd do well in a collar, as she's pretty nervous anyway. I also can't imagine the cost & we only have 2 exotic vets within 50 miles of me. There are no BCAV here.
 

Hankmacaw

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It is not as expensive as one might think around 5- 6 hundred. I admit that your girl sounds like a problem child.
 

Macawnutz

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Oh I hate blood feathers! Maui was such an awful clutz with a funky breeder clip I had no choice but to imp him.... or take out a life insurance policy!

I'm 100% for stopping bleeding at all costs without pulling them. Pulling those large feathers hurts them as they are seated in bone. :( I always said "you have a lifetime to be beautiful, that ugly feather will molt in a year." In all my 20 something years with macaws I have pulled one feather... I didn't even do it right the first time and had to do it again.... oh awful.
 
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