Normal feathers?

[iain38]

My budgie, Yumi, who is around 4 months has never been able to fly properly. Took her to vet who doesn’t think she has FM. Breeder adamant they didn’t clip wings though vet thinks otherwise. Are her wings normal? Any thoughts

 

[HeatherG]

Yumi’s wings honestly look like they are deformed. I can imagine a very bad clip and then pulling some feathers could result in this, but the breeder says they didn’t clip and I can’t believe someone would do that. Also in a 4 month old budgie time would not allow that regrowth after a botched clip. I wonder if she never grew those feathers in right due to some problem.

This resembles the very old poorly groomed and filthy canaries I got from a bad bird breeder. These birds seemed at the end of their breeding life and had terrible feather cysts mostly on primary wing feathers. When they came to me I don’t think they could fly. I selectively pulled the curled encysted feathers, removed skin overgrowth from feet, etc. and after a year I had two fairly normal, very elderly canaries. They were clean and could fly. Miserable people to do that to a bird.

Your bird isn’t dirty or poorly groomed but those wings are really not right and look like the bird never grew the flight feathers in properly. I would think this isn’t a hygiene problem but almost a hatching defect. I think feather cysts and underdeveloped feathers can be a hatching defect.

Can Yumi fly and get around? Does she seem pained by her wings? Did the vet say there are feather cysts or are the missing feathers underdeveloped? Poor bird.

P.s. I’m not a vet but I am a scientist who has studied birds. That’s what I think.

 

[iain38]

We took her in because of this (see pics) The vet thinks she did that to herself through boredom, but I’m not convinced. He said from just looking at her he didn’t think she had FM but that was a visual thing and not determined through a test. Apparently they specialise in exotics and birds but he seemed a bit clueless, for example, never mentioned FM until I brought it up. He gave her antibiotics, which we are now giving her daily.

 

[HeatherG]

I suppose she COULD HAVE pulled and destroyed almost all her primary wing feathers, but at 4 months of age I wonder if she was “born with” it. That’s really early to develop such bad FDB.

It would be strange to have a fungal or other skin infection and do that at four months.

That’s why I said “could have been a bunch of feathers pulled after a botched wing trim” (multiple cut blood feathers?) but who would do that? I recall screwing up a wing trim at 12 yrs old but a breeder wouldn’t do that.

Do you remember if her wings were ever feathered more normally?

If she pulled these herself, OUCH! And some sort of big problem or infection, or maybe wings that hurt?? Have you observed pulled flight feathers, blood on beak, etc?

Yes those spots on the “elbows” are pretty common chewing targets but why would a young young bird do that?

And in first picture series, most of flight feathers have come in abnormally or stunted.

 

[iain38]

Yes, we sometimes see blood on the beak. It’s obviously bothering her and she’s going at it, so to speak, because if this.

 

[SailBoat]

There is clearly extensive flight feathers missing both Primary and Secondary and others that have come in appear underdeveloped.
Plucking is rare in very young Parrots, but can happen.
FYI: Ask for the medical notes from your visits to date.
I would recommend looking for another Avian Professional, if possible a Certified Avian Vet. ASAP
The site blood is concerning as it implies an active site wound /cut that is open /not healed.

 

[HeatherG]

There is clearly extensive flight feathers missing both Primary and Secondary and others that have come in appear underdeveloped.
Plucking is rare in very young Parrots, but can happen.
FYI: Ask for the medical notes from your visits to date.
I would recommend looking for another Avian Professional, if possible a Certified Avian Vet. ASAP
The site blood is concerning as it implies an active site wound /cut that is open /not healed.

Yes, I wonder if the wings hurt and the bird is therefore chewing on them.

 

[SailBoat]

I understand your belief that there could be pain at the wound or cut site and agree. With the number of muscles and nerve endings in that area it is very possible.

Understanding the coldness of a medical discussion: When breeders have chicks that have deformities they commonly do not sell them as it commonly is an issue with defective DNA.

 

[HeatherG]

I understand your belief that there could be pain at the wound or cut site and agree. With the number of muscles and nerve endings in that area it is very possible.

Understanding the coldness of a medical discussion: When breeders have chicks that have deformities they commonly do not sell them as it commonly is an issue with defective DNA.

I wonder if this little bird’s wings hurt because the feathers are encysted or something (causing them to not grow out correctly) and so she is chewing on the ‘wrists’ of wings.

I know this can happen more with canaries if two soft-feathered type birds are mated. Usually canaries are mated a softer-feathered bird to a rough-feathered bird for the reason that feather deformities and feather cysts are a result in soft-soft or rough-rough baby canaries. Of course budgies are different but if parents produce many chicks like this they should not be bred together.

This has to hurt. It is cruel to this young bird that the breeder sold her to you with no knowledge of her problem. If you have not, you should inform the breeder that your bird has this feather deformity. And consider finding a different vet. Maybe Yumi would benefit from an NSAID pain med.

When I was rehabbing those elderly canaries they had pain meds for a while. Yumi may need that. If her pain was treated she might not chew herself.