Black edges on feathers

[Laurasea]

"Severe macaws might be smaller macaws, but they are all muscle. In the wild, a severe macaw might fly several hundred miles a day looking for food. It is essential to provide sufficient exercise for your pet to maintain a healthy body." From Spruce pet profile

In home flight recall.

Getting your burd foraging, burning up energy in flight, climbing, simple tricks. Will turn the focus away from over preening and hormones

 

[JFields]

"Severe macaws might be smaller macaws, but they are all muscle. In the wild, a severe macaw might fly several hundred miles a day looking for food. It is essential to provide sufficient exercise for your pet to maintain a healthy body." From Spruce pet profile

In home flight recall.

Getting your burd foraging, burning up energy in flight, climbing, simple tricks. Will turn the focus away from over preening and hormones

He isn't in his cage at all from the time I get up to the time he goes to bed. He's not crazy about toys but he's hell with a magazine. His flight feathers were cut when I got him but they're growing back in so we're learning how to fly in the living room a little bit. The vet says because he is so sexually frustrated with me because I can't help him cuz that's why he's doing all the nipping and preening.

 

[Shez]

Hi all!!
I still have my screamer Henry, but he's getting better(praise the Lord).
I've noticed the edge of his feathers turning black. He's on seed, fresh fruits and veggies. He gets 1 animal cracker every afternoon. What else can I do?

Sounds like bronzing but a photo of the feathers would be most helpful. Bronzing is where the feathers are worn away and do not reflect light as well anymore, quite often happens with older feathers, overly touched areas or from regular rubbing on toys, cage bars etc- from my understanding, a lot of bronzing occurs in areas that are often petted on birds.
Adding pellets and reducing seed intake (or sprouting the seeds instead) would be a helpful diet change for your macaw. I am unsure what the animal crackers are so wont comment on that but almonds are a quite healthy treat for birds, macaws do need more healthy fats in their diets than many other birds.

 

[Laurasea]

op has shared pictures, once previous page, but a whole bird photo would be better. Vet visit called over preening.
Will see what you think from pictures ? ( not snark BTW, interested in your opinion)

 

[Shez]

op has shared pictures, once previous page, but a whole bird photo would be better. Vet visit called over preening.
Will see what you think from pictures ? ( not snark BTW, interested in your opinion)

I agree a whole body photo would be much better.
I find over preening to be less likely than simple bronzing from wear and tear which happens to all birds regardless of health if feathers are touched enough by anything or are older (last molt date might give some more insight too).
I notice not all feathers are bronzing, only the ones that would become the most worn by human touch or regular bird play and everyday life.
I am not disputing the vets call- but I am questioning it.

There was a bird I remember seeing pics of with a badly bronzing set of tail feathers who a vet named as being an over preener but it turns out the only change needed for that bird to have perfect feathers once it molted was a perch relocation to stop the bird scraping its tail feathers on bars every time it moved.

 

[Laurasea]

I agree a whole body photo would be much better.
I find over preening to be less likely than simple bronzing from wear and tear which happens to all birds regardless of health if feathers are touched enough by anything or are older (last molt date might give some more insight too).
I notice not all feathers are bronzing, only the ones that would become the most worn by human touch or regular bird play and everyday life.
I am not disputing the vets call- but I am questioning it.

There was a bird I remember seeing pics of with a badly bronzing set of tail feathers who a vet named as being an over preener but it turns out the only change needed for that bird to have perfect feathers once it molted was a perch relocation to stop the bird scraping its tail feathers on bars every time it moved.

Is this a species thing?
I have never seen bronzing from handling a bird. None of mine who I pet and hold daily for hours, or the ones I've had associations with.

But I'm not sure from the look of the feathers in the picture, it doesnt look like classic overpreening which usually has at least the edges nibble or frayed

 

[Shez]

Is this a species thing?
I have never seen bronzing from handling a bird. None of mine who I pet and hold daily for hours, or the ones I've had associations with.

But I'm not sure from the look of the feathers in the picture, it doesnt look like classic overpreening which usually has at least the edges nibble or frayed

Not as far as I am aware, I have seen bronzing in many birds not just macs. It seems to be more obvious/prominent in older feathers which is why I mentioned last molt date. They just do not look like overpreened feathers to me

 

[MayMaroa]

Hi all!!
I still have my screamer Henry, but he's getting better(praise the Lord).
I've noticed the edge of his feathers turning black. He's on seed, fresh fruits and veggies. He gets 1 animal cracker every afternoon. What else can I do?

it may be stress bars can i you picture

 

[Laurasea]

Not as far as I am aware, I have seen bronzing in many birds not just macs. It seems to be more obvious/prominent in older feathers which is why I mentioned last molt date. They just do not look like overpreened feathers to me

I've seen bronzing in many species, from health issues, or worn out. I tend to place bronzing in a health category, as healthy/and proper nutrition, there isn't a delayed molt, and feathers are replaced before such a state

I just have not seen it from hands on feathers , petting and the like.

So I had wondered if macaw feathers were different.

They don't look like classic over preening to me either. But I still lean that way.

Feather health is an important and I find interesting topic.
As a side hobby I check out every posted birds feathers

One time I had my birds look patchy and noticeable molt. I took them to an avian veterinarian of decades if experience. She told me that's typical. ( no longer my vet btw) I did not accept that , researched, made changes in diet. Now my burds feathers look lush during molt, molt quicker, and only know because you find the feathers, and crunch the pins. They never look scruffy , just like my observation of wild healthy birds.

 

[Terry57]

I've seen bronzing in many species, from health issues, or worn out. I tend to place bronzing in a health category, as healthy/and proper nutrition, there isn't a delayed molt, and feathers are replaced before such a state

I just have not seen it from hands on feathers , petting and the like.

So I had wondered if macaw feathers were different.

They don't look like classic over preening to me either. But I still lean that way.

Feather health is an important and I find interesting topic.
As a side hobby I check out every posted birds feathers

Several of my birds have gotten bronzing from being handled a lot. That came straight from my vet during the vet visit as soon as she saw how the ones we brought in like to cuddle. It is possible, and pretty common here as I know many others who had this issue.

 

[Laurasea]

Its ok to disagree. People have different experiences.
I have to go by mine and share my experience. I definitely handle mine all the time a lot. Never had it.
Except Penny who didn't molt fir 2 years ( health issues, liver, past poor diet, and her being so sick)

 

[Shez]

I've seen bronzing in many species, from health issues, or worn out. I tend to place bronzing in a health category, as healthy/and proper nutrition, there isn't a delayed molt, and feathers are replaced before such a state

I just have not seen it from hands on feathers , petting and the like.

So I had wondered if macaw feathers were different.

They don't look like classic over preening to me either. But I still lean that way.

Feather health is an important and I find interesting topic.
As a side hobby I check out every posted birds feathers

One time I had my birds look patchy and noticeable molt. I took them to an avian veterinarian of decades if experience. She told me that's typical. ( no longer my vet btw) I did not accept that , researched, made changes in diet. Now my burds feathers look lush during molt, molt quicker, and only know because you find the feathers, and crunch the pins. They never look scruffy , just like my observation of wild healthy birds.

Bronzing has nothing to do with nutrition and definitely isn’t a health issue- the healthiest of birds with the strongest healthiest feathers can get bronzing on feathers. It’s where the feather that reflects light gets worn down no longer being able to reflect light correctly.
The bronzing occurs after the feather has fully grown by which stage the blood supply is shut off from the feather meaning it is most definitely NOT a direct sign of health, on the other hand, stress bars occur during feather growth… that is a sign of health/diet while feathers are growing.

 

[Laurasea]

perhaps we are calling things differently.

 

[Shez]

Its ok to disagree. People have different experiences.
I have to go by mine and share my experience. I definitely handle mine all the time a lot. Never had it.
Except Penny who didn't molt fir 2 years ( health issues, liver, past poor diet, and her being so sick)

So, your birds are healthy enough to molt possibly twice a year and maybe even drop odd feathers in between molts? If the answer is yes then that’s why you don’t see bronzing- it’s likely that if your birds didn’t molt regularly you’d be seeing bronzing all over them.

 

[Laurasea]

So, your birds are healthy enough to molt possibly twice a year and maybe even drop odd feathers in between molts? If the answer is yes then that’s why you don’t see bronzing- it’s likely that if your birds didn’t molt regularly you’d be seeing bronzing all over them.

Lol
Yes
I thought the norm was 2 x year molt? Plus tge odd festher.
Believe me I work hard to have lush radiant feathers, I'm always trying to improve diet. I take them outside when weather permits, which I think helps feathers as well

 

[Shez]

it may be stress bars can i you picture

Those are definitely not stress bars in the picture. It’s most certainly bronzing.

 

[Shez]

Lol
Yes
I thought the norm was 2 x year molt?

If they’re healthy

 

[Laurasea]

If they’re healthy

See then that goes back to me putting bronzing in a health category

 

[Shez]

Lol
Yes
I thought the norm was 2 x year molt? Plus tge odd festher.
Believe me I work hard to have lush radiant feathers, I'm always trying to improve diet. I take them outside when weather permits, which I think helps feathers as well

I have a SC2 that was in need of a home and the old owner couldn’t tell me when he molted last- he came to me eating only three foods (peanut which I won’t feed, sunflower seeds which should be a treat and green peas). Since being here he’s started eating a bigger variety of good foods and he’s molting like crazy because his body has the energy stores to produce the feathers. The better the diet the more often they’ll drop damaged feathers

 

[JFields]

Sounds like bronzing but a photo of the feathers would be most helpful. Bronzing is where the feathers are worn away and do not reflect light as well anymore, quite often happens with older feathers, overly touched areas or from regular rubbing on toys, cage bars etc- from my understanding, a lot of bronzing occurs in areas that are often petted on birds.
Adding pellets and reducing seed intake (or sprouting the seeds instead) would be a helpful diet change for your macaw. I am unsure what the animal crackers are so wont comment on that but almonds are a quite healthy treat for birds, macaws do need more healthy fats in their diets than many other birds.

We work daily on diet. All he was fed before I got him was some trash seed from Walmart. He's very picky. He's not a fan of nuts. He'd rather have pineapple or cantaloupe. He won't let me open his wings yet, but this feathers are frayed under breath.