NO WORDS (graphic)

[SilverSage]

WARNING! Graphic content!

Clipping a bird too short risks bruising or fracturing the keel bone, and excessive bleeding from broken blood feathers as they try to grow in. There are also risks of infection when the feathers start to break and splinter down into the follicle because they have no support. PLEASE DO YOUR RESEARCH BEFORE CLIPPING! DO NOT ASSUME A “PROFESSIONAL” WILL DO THE RIGHT THING!!!

I recently took in two birds with the worst clips I have ever seen, and I’ve seen birds with clipped tails. After continued broken blood feathers made it clear neither bird was going to be able to grow her feathers in one at a time, we had to take a drastic step tonight.

I cried, I almost vomited. Here are the feathers that I pulled. Yes, these are all that was left of the flight feathers.


Bird 1

Bird 2 (only one wing was clipped on her) 2

A shot of bird 1’s wing before I pulled anything

Neither bird could get even 6” off the ground no matter how hard she tried. The person I got them from says the breeder did this. They have been living like this for a year. The breeder you guys. A supposed Avian professional did this to animals she produced! I CANNOT HANDLE HUMANITY TODAY!


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[SailBoat]

Thanks, for the reminder on how mindless Humans can be.

As an FYI: Unless you are well trained, like SilverSage is, do not do this at home. In addition, assure that the Parrot is already on and has been part of a well provided diet for several months first. Feather replacement, especially Wing Feathers, place high demands of their stores. Hence, a quality diet is required to support this level of Feather replacement.

Seek the services of an Avian Medial Professional!

 

[ChristaNL]

Oh my.... even my flightfeather mutilating macaw hasn't gone quite this far!
and this was deliberately done to them by a human hand?
*so shocked right now*


@Sailboat: My avian vet has said the same thing to me.
Build up the birds reserves first-
and if they don't moult them propperly / if you really can't wait and you need to pull so many of them: do it with general anesthesia!

(She -the vet- had offered this to me as a way getting the feathers to grow in all at once if Sunny did not stop picking them off one by one as they appeared, appearently it sometimes helps - Well, maybe in a couple of years we might try this if the situation does not improve, for now Sunny has plenty of other issues to deal with first.)


SilverSage: you are a brave person!
I hope they will be alright now and the ordeal is over for them.

 

[SilverSage]

I wish having it done by a vet under anesthesia had been an option here!

And yes, Sailboat, thanks, I’m still a bit worked up and I did forget to mention that I’m not just a random bird owner but that I unfortunately have some experience with this kind of thing.

My vets in Hawaii weren’t perfect but I sure miss them!


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[itzjbean]

My heart hurts for these birds. Thank you, thank you for taking them in and beginning the healing process. Hopefully they can recover, is there still a chance their feathers can eventually grow in and they can fly?

 

[SilverSage]

Yes. When feathers are clipped the body doesn’t know they are gone, and will molt them on schedule as if they are all
Still there. By pulling them, I’m letting the body know they are gone and need to be replaced ASAP. Hopefully they will all grow in together (which is rough on the poor girls) and won break off because each feather won’t be sticking out all alone. That’s the hope anyway. I’ve unfortunately had to do this before, and the results were great.


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[T00tsyd]

I should have heeded the warning - the tears are rolling down my cheeks. How could anyone......?

 

[riddick07]

Ouch! Hopefully it works!

I remember Folger breaking them left and right when they were growing in after his shelter clip because he freaks clipping objects and crashing into stuff. I had to keep him locked up in his cage with enough toys that flapping wasn’t really an option until enough came in to cushion any other growing blood feathers when he was out. The vet had pulled about 4 blood feathers I think it was at one point and that was when I decided to cage bound him until enough regrew.

 

[ChristaNL]

I wish having it done by a vet under anesthesia had been an option here!

No critisism meant here!

(just making sure)
I am in awe what you did for these birds, now they really will have a chance at healthy feathers and an happy flighted life.


Feeling blessed that I live near a bunch of avianexperts (https://www.uu.nl/en/organisation/faculty-of-veterinary-medicine) so I probably never will have to be *that* brave.
You did something wonderfull.

 

[Scott]

That is beyond horrific, Dani. Thanks for taking good care of them and posting as a warning for the uninitiated. The ignorance and callousness of some "breeders" is breathtaking.

 

[SilverSage]

I should have heeded the warning - the tears are rolling down my cheeks. How could anyone......?

I cried after. I didn’t get much sleep either. It’s one thing to know it needs to be done and another to physically hold them down and pull the feathers out. I’m beyond upset.

I knew they were clipped too short but they were in strict quarantine until their blood tests came back, and I hadn’t really messed with them. The one with the worst clip was bleeding small amounts every day though so as soon as I got the blood work back I got them out to investigate and I was blown away.

I haven’t been able to make myself call the previous owner about it yet. She said the breeder clipped them, and I feel like I need to warn her in case she gets birds from that breeder in the future, but I’m just not ready to face her over it.


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[SilverSage]

I wish having it done by a vet under anesthesia had been an option here!

No critisism meant here!

(just making sure)
I am in awe what you did for these birds, now they really will have a chance at healthy feathers and an happy flighted life.


Feeling blessed that I live near a bunch of avianexperts (https://www.uu.nl/en/organisation/faculty-of-veterinary-medicine) so I probably never will have to be *that* brave.
You did something wonderfull.

I didn’t take it as criticism, I really am upset by the lack of vet care available near me and even though I generally counsel against anesthesia for parrots, I would have welcomed it for this. I didn’t get them all on the really bad one, and I’m praying I don’t have to go back in for the rest.


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[T00tsyd]

Now I have had chance to think - are you certain it was done by the breeder? Those wings were such a mess it and it looks so uncaring and amateur is it possible the previous owner was too embarrassed to own up? They look as if they've been chewed rather than cut. I just can't believe that anyone with the ability to raise birds would treat them a way.

 

[SilverSage]

Now I have had chance to think - are you certain it was done by the breeder? Those wings were such a mess it and it looks so uncaring and amateur is it possible the previous owner was too embarrassed to own up? They look as if they've been chewed rather than cut. I just can't believe that anyone with the ability to raise birds would treat them a way.

Seeing as I personally witnessed a nearby breeder doing a similar cut and grinding the beak of an unweaned baby this month, I don’t have any problems believing the breeder could have done it. But I’m not sure, honestly. Someone did it, and the list of suspects is only two people long.


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[Kentuckienne]

I don’t see how you could bear to do it, even knowing that it is the best thing to do. I wish people could leave reviews for breeders like that...I think you can do it in Yelp.

 

[SilverSage]

For breeders with business pages I think so. I know people leave me reviews on Facebook, though the funny thing is sometimes they aren’t accurate at all. Some guy I’ve never so much as had a message from left me a one star review with no explanation which significantly hurt my overall rating since most people don’t actually leave reviews.


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