# What do I do about a broken tail feather?



## Patp (Jul 24, 2012)

I noticed yesterday that one of Achilles's tail feather is limp and just flopping around partially broken..I assumed he would pluck it off himself but he hasn't...is a broken tail feather bad? Do I pluck it out myself or let it hang and does it affect him at all?? Oh and do they grow back?


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## JaimeS (Nov 28, 2011)

Just leave it alone, it will eventually break off all the way. He will grow more.


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## Patp (Jul 24, 2012)

Cool thank you


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## mouseb (Aug 2, 2012)

Yea I just posted about Squirts about 2 days ago and it just fell off downstairs about 10 minutes ago, just let it come off.


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## EricSilver (Jan 26, 2012)

You can also pull it -- tail feathers are designed to come out easily in case a predator grabs hold of them. 

Butters (my bird) had broken all of his and did not molt new ones. After two months of waiting I decided to pull them one by one over the course of a few days (with little more than a weak screech from him each time) and they simultaneously grew back completely within 4 weeks.


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## vampiric_conure (Jul 8, 2012)

Mindwipe has a few broken tail feathers from whatever reason. If they're half broken, I would let them be. If they were causing some discomfort or some balance issues I would pull it. In most cases there's no need to pull it though


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## MeanneyFids (Aug 24, 2010)

watch with pulling them. if they get pulled or knocked out too often you can damage the follicle and have some messed up feathers grow in, feather cysts or even no feathers growing in again.


just leave the broken feather there, as long as its not a blood feather


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## roxy culver (May 27, 2010)

Yea I wouldn't pull it...my hubby was doing this each time Pankakes broke tail feathers and they kept coming in crooked and breaking again. So just leave it to fall out on its own.


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