Feather replacement diet?

[MyRuby]

Hello everyone,
We have acquired a Hahns Macaw that is 23 yrs old. She was/is a plucker. I was told that the original owner kept her in her cage for the first 16yrs. of her life. The person that we got her from became ill and could no longer give her the attention that she deserved, she was also unable to get her (Murphy) out of her cage without toweling her.
We have now had Murphy for about 2weeks and she has made an incredible amount of progress. She now comes out of her cage on her own and she will step up, most of the time, we just give her - her space and she steps up when she wants. There's no rush. I think that she has bonded with my daughter because my daughter can, pet her and they give each other kisses. It's such a warm site to behold.
Now to get to my question. Murphy was pretty well plucked down, however within the last couple of weeks feathers are growing everywhere. She has pen feathers all over. Is there something that I should be feeding her to help her with growing her feathers. I presently feed her Zepreem maintanence pellets and a seed mix for snack.
Hopefully some of you have had experience with this and could provide me with much appreciated advice.
Again thank you.
Randy

 

[Featheredsamurai]

Zupreem is a alright brand, their natural pellets are the only pellet I would buy. Harrison's high potency pellets are excellent for getting the feathers to grow back healthy, Harrison's in general is awesome and what I feed both my fids. Totally organics are also a excellent pellet, but I would recomend Harrison's until the feathers are back. Fresh food is also excellent, and should be offered daily if possible. The great thing is that Murphy is eating pellets, any pellet is better than no pellet.

Nutri-berries are a better snack than seed, as they allow the birds to use foraging behavior. They also include some pellets, and still have a few seeds to crack open. These are available at many pet stores in the USA. This is the only way my birdies get any seed.

Nutri-An cakes are also a great alternative to a seed mix, but harder to fine. I usually buy mine at the avian vet.

 

[Jumpingtadpoles]

I've been told walnuts are fantastic for helping feathers grow back
Also more fresh stuff to the diet, veggies, fruits, and many here make a birds bread as well as a mash. And whole nuts in the shell of most kind (without salt)

 

[GaryBV]

I'm on the same page as copper - those foods are excellent. The only drawback is cost, they are expensive. As copperarabian noted Harrison's does have a high potency forumla that would be perfect for the condition of your bird. Roudybush also has a high energy formula that is less expensive and I think is a great product as well, but it is not certified organic as is Harrisons and Totally Organic - here is a link for it - it has another advantage as well, it comes in a multitude of sizes - this link is for the 'medium' -

[ame="http://www.amazon.com/Roudybush-High-Energy-10-Pound-Medium/dp/B00A3S6FDA/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1386137632&sr=8-3&keywords=roudybush+high+energy+medium"]Amazon.com: Roudybush High Energy Bird Food, 10-Pound, Medium: Pet Supplies[/ame]

I actually feed my birds a mix of Harrision's and Roudybush 2 parts Roudybush to 1 part Harrisions.

I have never seen those nutri-an cakes but I like what they are and I'd give my birds those - I do buy avi-cakes and my birds love them and I suspect they are nearly the same thing but are more easily found. I give my birds nutri-berries, pellet-berries and avi-cakes for treats and all of these are terrific real foods on their own.

Here is a link to the avi-cakes - parrot sized (they are on sale! lol)

[ame="http://www.amazon.com/Lafebers-Avi-Cakes-Cockatiels-Parakeets-Lovebirds/dp/B0002567XW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1386137810&sr=8-1&keywords=avi-cakes"]Amazon.com: Lafeber's Avi-Cakes for Cockatiels / Parakeets / Lovebirds and Conures 8 oz: Pet Supplies[/ame]

And of course, try to give fresh foods - fruits and vegetables to her.

It's wonderful her feathers are growing back, you might want to give her something to chew at (rather than herself) like the Wesco Kabob - they are terrific and most birds love them AND they are on big sale right now too and come in different sizes, I buy the originals and they are great, but once she starts on them you can move up to the 'ole' which is much larger. Here is a look-see:

[ame="http://www.amazon.com/Wesco-Original-Bird-Kabob-Shreddable/dp/B0002FP1W0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1386138051&sr=8-1&keywords=wesco+kabob"]Amazon.com: Wesco Pet Original Bird Kabob Shreddable Bird Toy: Pet Supplies[/ame]

Good luck with her - it sounds like you really want to do right by her

 

[noblemacaw]

Will she eat any fresh foods? If she does try to give her some cooked yams, sweet potato or squash. These foods have always kept my parrots feathers in top condition. Nice healthy shiny feathers.

For the sweet potato get the one what is the darkest orange color. Not the new jersey white one or the other species that is not that dark orange color. I have also feed my birds cooked acorn squash.

Can we see a picture of her?

 

[MyRuby]

Thanks for the reply, everyone. I'll post pictures when I learn how. lol

 

[Kalidasa]

And don't forget lots of baths

 

[BoomBoom]

I've read that red palm oil in moderation encourages feather growth and general skin and plumage health. I use it for my conure just a supplement here and there.

 

[SandyBee]

Foods high in Vitamin A, carrots,yam, sweet potatoes, beets, pumpkin, squash, some nuts, red palm oil. Also make sure to add dark leafy greens to the diet along with pellets. This will help give him everything he needs.