feather chewing

[skycon]

Savannah had plucked her chest feathers out before we got her. Her past owner said that it was due to malnutrition. She now gets a mixture of pellets, vegetables, fruit, nuts, and seeds daily. They seem to be growing in quite well and I have been keeping an eye on her to make sure that she is not continuing to pluck them.

However, I have noticed something else that I am not really experienced with and that is the chewing the end of her feathers. I am not positive that is how this all came about, but the ends of some feathers are black and torn. When we first got her they were also like this so I am not sure if she has done so recently, but I am wondering if there is something that should be done about that? We have had her about a month. This picture shows some of the black edges:

This shows the progression of her feathers coming in:
the day we brought her home

recent picture

She also gets Nekton BIO-feather grow. Is there anything else I should be doing?

Thank you,
Caitlin

 

[suebee]

well my nuts feathers are in worse condition but her re growth is coming along nicely,

has she chewed her feathers since she has been with you??
if its her flight feathers you will hear the crackin as the ends get nipped, its horrible, but try not to re-act to it, and yes the ends of nuts feathers have all gone dark


nut is 2 an was in season, plus moved homes, but most of the plucking had been done before she came to mine, well she didn't pluck as such, just chewed her feathers off
i am expecting her to be all chewy again by december, as her season is around nov to feb?? i was told she chewed same time the previous yr as well

if its malnutriction, can cause feather to grow weak, rather like our nails, but if she is getting a good varied diet now, her new feathers should grow better, try giving her cooked egg white and chicken (even the bone) for more protien but as treats, rather then part of her diet, nut loved egg white! and chicken bones lol

so just find out when your birds in season etc as it could be that

 

[skycon]

I do not think she has plucked any since she has been with us but I am not certain that she hasn't chewed. In fact, I think she has. Her tail feathers are broke off too, but I am not sure if she did that. They were like that before we got her. Do birds usually molt once or twice a year? Would that be when I can tell if her feathers will fully come in?

She is my first female bird so I am quite clueless when it comes to her being in season or how to even tell. That is something I am going to have to research. She will be four years old this June.

Thanks for the tips! She loves food so I am sure she will like that. Oh, and are seeds necessary? I read somewhere that they are addictive to birds and got the feeling that I shouldn't feed them. Her last owner said that Macaws need plenty of fat in their diet so she always gives her birds some seeds. As of now I have been giving them to her daily, but not a large amount. Is that okay? Should I only feed them as treats, or not at all?

 

[suebee]

nut is flighted, so i feed her lafebers seed balls as well as she does fly alot about the house, also the balls are great for when she is left in her cage, when we are out, so i can hide them in her toys and around the cage, i think and i could be wrong, a diet high in seeds will fatten your bird, especially if there not flighted or if there not an active bird

besides nut really is not a fan of her pellets lol she has had tantrums at seeing pellets only in her food dish an nothing else! my fault she was on a pellet diet, but the lafebers to me looked yummier! so i put a dish of pellets ouside her cage, that she will go to to eat, as she cannot be bothered to go into her cage for the good stuff lol

so i can't see the problem in giving some seed or feeding them as treats

as for molting, i am hoping once a year! as my house looks like we've been having daily feathered pillow fights! not to mention the tiny flakes from the pin feathers lol she seems to be molting all her feathers including her primary feathers at this time, but i have read birds that are exposed to regular sunlight have a more natural molt? and less dramatic then birds kept indoors behind glass etc like nut is.

 

[MikeyTN]

When they chew their feathers like that, most of the time like what the previous owners said, malnutrition. Proper diet will correct that part. Have you tried bathing him??? Bathe him often can often stop that from happening. Mine's feathers would be torn at the end from crawling on the bottom of the cage or from them pushing against something cause the feather to fracture. I watch them do it so I know how it was done. Sometimes by clipping their wings will cause that too as my macaw never had that problem until I clipped him. And that's happened to many of my birds before....

 

[skycon]

Hm. Thanks for the help! I do give her baths often and so did her previous owner. I have been watching her and am almost positive she is still chewing her feathers. She is not plucking them out completely but she is still damaging them.

Her wings are clipped but I am letting them grow out. They were already clipped when I got her. If I do let them grow out, do you think she will learn to fly? I don't believe she has ever flown and never tries. She is 3 1/2 years old.

 

[MikeyTN]

It wont take much, a strong gust would do. Try a bird leash! Does she have toys she could destroy? Im buying my toys at the bird fair, a lot cheaper!!!! Cause they go through them fast.... $20-30 toy would be shredded in one hour....lol.... I bought him a treat toy for $50, it lasted two days....lol.

 

[skycon]

She has a large cage full of all types of toys and winding perches. lol. She is constantly preening herself even when she is out with me or playing. I try to have her out of the cage as much as possible durning the day in attempts to keep her from getting bored. I can only assume she continues doing it out of boredom or habit. After looking today though I do see new pin feathers coming in on her chest.

I am going to get a leash when her wings grow out but I was asking more out of curiosity. I was wondering if she will ever learn to fly, because I know some let their birds fly around the house. I wasn't sure if it was too late for her to learn since most of her life her wings have been clipped.

 

[skycon]

By the way, I have seen multiple people talking about bird fairs so I am, hopefully, going to one this weekend in my area. A little bit of a drive but should be fun!

 

[MikeyTN]

It's never too late for them to learn how to fly. It takes practice!!! They may not do well at the beginning, but practice makes it better!!! My JoJo was not a good flier. He's getting the hang of it now. Doing much better the more he flies around.

 

[skycon]

That is wonderful to hear! I wasn't sure if it was too late for her. I can't wait to see her fully feathered. lol. I am so impatient.

 

[Pedro]

Once your Hahns flights grow out there will be no stopping her. Mine came with clipped wings & i let them grow out & it didn't take long at all for him to realize that he could fly although he did need to build up his chest muscles some what.

You said you have had her a month IMO that isn't enough time for her to make a huge amount of improvements. She would benefit by a fresh fruit & veg diet with sprouted seed mix, raw nuts almost any healthy foods you eat yourself (or should eat. LOL)

As for the plucking & chewing of the flights, is she actually chewing them or is it because she is damaging them by climbing around the cage

Site Name - Articles - Veterinary Health - The Complexities of Feather Destructive Behavior

Some great info on feather damage. Hope you read it.

 

[skycon]

She is chewing the ends of her feathers while preening but it seems as though she isn't doing it as much anymore. Looking at her today I noticed that there was less damage to her feathers than before. She doesn't pluck anymore. She used too and her chest feathers are growing in at the moment. I actually think she is making fast progress as far as that goes.

She already gets a wide variety of vegetables, fruits, and nuts daily along with her pellets. She also shares my morning smoothie sometimes that is a mixture of vegetables and fruits with some honey and yogurt. But mostly we just sit outside in the mornings while I have my smoothie and she has her fruits and veggies. Most nights, when we eat healthy, she eats along with us. If not, I find other yummy treats for her. So I know she is on a good diet.

I also make sure she gets outside at least once a day because I have been reading about the effects that sunlight has on birds. And I make sure she gets regular baths. I am sure it will just take a bit of time before I notice any major differences. Luckily though, I believe she has stopped damaging her feathers for the most part.

 

[MikeyTN]

That's great to hear!!!!

 

[skycon]

I was actually quite happy this morning. When I was sitting outside with her and had her in the sunlight I noticed that her back and wings seemed a lot greener. I looked at some old photos and sure enough they are! I suppose I just didn't give it enough time to see any changes. Oh, and I see quite a few new pin feathers already coming in on her chest! It is all so exciting. lol.

Yesterday she started holding my fingers while I pet her and exploring my fingernails. When we first got her she used to bite me but she is much more comfortable around me now. I can ever pet her chest and play with her wings. It is a huge improvement. She is opening up and quieting down. Two GREAT things. lol