blood feather?

[wybiethebudgie]

He hasn't had a blood feather before and I'm not quite sure if this is one can someone tell me if it is? also if it is how long do they take to go away?

 

[LaManuka]

Welcome to the forums, wybiethebudgie, I'm sorry it's under worrying circumstances for you though

Blood feathers are a natural part of the moulting process. When a bird grows a new feather, blood continues to run into the shaft to nourish it and help it grow until it reaches it's full size. It only becomes a problem if they manage to break or damage the shaft, then it can bleed uncontrollably and become dangerous very quickly. Has this feather actually been bleeding, or is it bleeding now?

 

[wybiethebudgie]

Welcome to the forums, wybiethebudgie, I'm sorry it's under worrying circumstances for you though

Blood feathers are a natural part of the moulting process. When a bird grows a new feather, blood continues to run into the shaft to nourish it and help it grow until it reaches it's full size. It only becomes a problem if they manage to break or damage the shaft, then it can bleed uncontrollably and become dangerous very quickly. Has this feather actually been bleeding, or is it bleeding now?

No, it hasn't bled at all thankfully. I just haven't had to deal with one and I've been worried about him breaking it, I only noticed it yesterday and I wanted to make sure it was actually a blood feather and not something else entirely since the ones I could see online were mostly from bigger birds.

 

[LaManuka]

Oh that's good to know that it's not actively bleeding You are right to be mindful of it though. Keep a close eye on him and make sure he doesn't pick or scratch at it, if any bleeding does start up you can try to stop it by applying plain flour or a product like Kwik Stop to stop the bleeding, but it often means a trip to the vet to have them pull the feather out. If you do notice him worrying at it, it might even be worth a trip to your nearest avian vet anyway, just for peace of mind. Just in case you are not familiar with one in your area, the following link may help you to find one ...

https://www.aav.org/search/custom.asp?id=1803

Thanks again for joining, and I wish you and Wybie all the very best

 

[wybiethebudgie]

Oh that's good to know that it's not actively bleeding You are right to be mindful of it though. Keep a close eye on him and make sure he doesn't pick or scratch at it, if any bleeding does start up you can try to stop it by applying plain flour or a product like Kwik Stop to stop the bleeding, but it often means a trip to the vet to have them pull the feather out. If you do notice him worrying at it, it might even be worth a trip to your nearest avian vet anyway, just for peace of mind. Just in case you are not familiar with one in your area, the following link may help you to find one ...

https://www.aav.org/search/custom.asp?id=1803

Thanks again for joining, and I wish you and Wybie all the very best

I can now say that his blood feather is gone!