Growing Flights

[OutlawedSpirit]

So, I am stuck sort of between a rock and a hard place. I have been waiting for months for Chicken to start moulting out and regrowing her clipped flight feathers. She was clipped when I got her and it's been a slow process. Especially, since the two flight feathers she has actually grown out, she has broken off. Part of the problem is that they were towards the tips of her wings and grew in alone, so they had no supporting feathers around them, and she can play rough.

Speaking with the vet, he said he could pull a few of the clipped feathers from each wing out, so that multiple feathers would grow in at once to help protect each other from breaking. This seems sort of cruel to me, but he also said she would be less likely to break a blood feather as they are growing in as well, with the extra support from multiple feathers.

I am just on the fence as to whether I want to have this done or not, and am wondering what the rest of you think.

 

[Kentuckienne]

I think it was Sailboat had a very good thread about this in his Amazon series, about feathers. He described the correct procedure to have a vet pull flight feathers to force regrowth, and when I asked in more detailed explained that this is a very drastic thing and should rarely be needed. In any case, pulling multiple feathers at once sounds very drastic. There is a risk of injury and infection.

 

[chris-md]

Not having much background, I'd be incline to lean on your vets experience and advice. There sounds like a logical argument for going through with it given your specific situation.

 

[OutlawedSpirit]

I see your point, Kentuckienne, but I also have to worry about her breaking a blood feather, especially when I'm not home. She is just rough when she plays with her toys, and likes to hang from them flapping, occasionally hitting her wings on perches, the side of her cage, the top of her cage, etc. The vet said that when they grow in one at a time, they are much more prone to breaking, especially in the middle or end of a clip, because there are no other feathers to help support the shaft. So far, when she's broken them off, it's been after they are fully in and the vein has retreated. I just don't know if I want to continue taking the risk. On the other hand, I don't know if I want to take the risk of pain or infection by having a group of them pulled. Although, at least they would be pulled by an avian vet, so he knows how to pull them safely.

 

[SailBoat]

I see your point, Kentuckienne, but I also have to worry about her breaking a blood feather, especially when I'm not home. She is just rough when she plays with her toys, and likes to hang from them flapping, occasionally hitting her wings on perches, the side of her cage, the top of her cage, etc. The vet said that when they grow in one at a time, they are much more prone to breaking, especially in the middle or end of a clip, because there are no other feathers to help support the shaft. So far, when she's broken them off, it's been after they are fully in and the vein has retreated. I just don't know if I want to continue taking the risk. On the other hand, I don't know if I want to take the risk of pain or infection by having a group of them pulled. Although, at least they would be pulled by an avian vet, so he knows how to pull them safely.

RE-flighting a Parrot that has been clipped would seem to be a fairly straight foreword process. Let the Wing feather grow in and boom they take off! Well, as Chicken has proven, its not that simple.

Staying with the Wing clip style that are specific to the Primary feathers only and than only to either the leading edge of the far inside edge of the Primary feathers. Most individuals that clip Wings clearly need to be well trained in both the Science and the 'Art' of clipping Wing feathers.

The simplest cut and preferred by near everyone is to cut the leading edge Primary wing feathers. Its fast, easy and most owners prefer it because it takes longer for those feathers to regrow and therefore saves the owner a trip to the Avian Vets office. So, saves money and is fast, got to Love it correct? NO! The problem that Chicken is having now is the loss of New Growth Primary Feathers that are unsupported! This is very Common Problem with this style of Clip since the new feather are commonly unprotected /supported by other feathers. Breaking a Blood feather is likely!

The other Clip is commonly referred to as a Presentation Clip, because it is commonly used with Show Birds. The down side of this Clip is that it requires additional /more 'inside' Primary feathers to be Clipped to obtain the same results. It is also more difficult to preform since the starting point is just after the last Secondary feather next to the Primary feathers and then cutting toward the outer feathers. This group of feathers are less exposed and as a result tend to have much fewer problems with breaking a blood feather.

The Segment referenced in a Post above can be found in the Amazon Forum, in the Thread that starts: I Love Amazons .... found near or at the top of the Forum. The Segment has to do with Re-Fledging an Adult (Older) Amazon. In it you will find a discussion on 'Forcing' Flight Feathers to regrow outside of their normally schedule replacement.

Forcing Flight Feathers to Regrow: This is to be done 'ONLY' by an Avian Vet. The process is consider by NON-trained individuals to be a simple process of pulling the cut wing feather and letting Nature take its course. NOT a good idea!

With that now said, if you choose to take this route, please take the time to read that Segment as it will provide you general information as to what your AV will likely do and provide your Parrot and additional product for you to take home and apply. Your AV will start with the inside most feather or two (balance on both Wings). Once those feather are in, the next two will be selected.

DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME!!!

Hope that this helps!

STOP: Sorry, but I had referenced the wrong Segment above - Please see Page 6 and that Segment Titled: Recovering Critical Flight Feathers!

 

[EllenD]

Wow, this is a horrible decision to have to make. I see both sides of the discussion, I have often feared one of my guys breaking a blood feather when I was out of the house, fearing opening the door and finding one of them dead on the bottom of their cage. My cockatiel was born in July, and right now she is in the middle of the worst molt I have ever seen, I feel so bad for her. At first I wasn't aware of how bad it was and I really thought she was sick because although she was eating, drinking, and playing, she had started to just sit and look miserable more often, sleep all the time, etc. So last week I picked her up and she lowered her head for scritches, but when I started scratching the back of her neck she immediately squawked in pain. I looked at her neck and it's one big pin feather, as is her back, tail, chest, belly, under her wings, her entire body is just coated in big pin feathers! So while I'm very glad she isn't sick I feel so badly for her, she is just miserable. And I'm scared to death of a blood feather breaking, she is definitely the most fearless bird I have and the clumsiest, which is a bad situation (this is why she has no tail right now). So I understand your fear. That being said, I'm not sure if I could put her through what your avian vet is suggesting.

Has your vet talked about the amount of pain your bird will be in during/after the procedure? I'm assuming that he will be under anesthesia while they are doing it, at least I hope so, and I would think he'd have to be. Doing a Pro/Con list for having the procedure done in my head right now, on the Con side I've got Pain he will go through, infection, possible follicle damage meaning a new feather may never grow back in...That last one is a big one for me. If that were to happen then your bird may never fly again. Also I'd be concerned about possible long-term behavioral problems or long-term trauma from going through the procedure and the pain afterwards...But honestly permanent follicle damage would be enough for me to not to do it and to take the risk with the blood feathers. I'd try to do everything I could to make the bird's cage safer, possibly lowering toys to prevent hanging from them, padding the sides, etc. I know it's an avian vet and the possibility of this specialist doing permanent damage to follicles would be slim, but people die in surgery every day, or develop sepsis from surgery every day, or wake up from a simple procedure with a permanent disability, and the procedure was done by a world class surgeon. Stuff happens is the bottom line for me, and I couldn't take one of my birds not being able to fly again because of something that was preventable.

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