# Clumsy bird has broken a blood feather!



## annabelcc (Jun 4, 2013)

So I was busy giving Piper a cuddle just now.
I've been keeping an eye out for blood feathers since she's going through her first moult, and I was aware she had some new wing feathers coming through.

When she stretched her wing out, I noticed a substantial amount of dried blood around one of these new feathers. It's not bleeding now, and she's not acting out of the ordinary.

I know if they're bleeding you're meant to pull them out, but quite frankly the thought of that makes my stomach churn, and I was wondering if pulling it out is necessary if it has stopped bleeding?

Worried sick, please help!


----------



## annabelcc (Jun 4, 2013)

Also, does the fact she is a clipped bird mean she's more likely to break new feathers?


----------



## ollieandme (Mar 25, 2013)

because her wings are growing out, she'll have a lot of blood feathers and they're quite easy to break  keep an eye on it. hopefully it'll be fine, though often they will continue to break and bleed if they're not pulled. If it's not bleeding then you can probably leave it. Otherwise you could take her to your vet to get it pulled. I understand not wanting to pull it - i don't think i could either


----------



## annabelcc (Jun 4, 2013)

I'll definitely be keeping an eye on it. Ahhhhhhhh I want to wrap her in cotton wool so she doesn't do any more damage. She's so clumsy! I'll definitely be keeping an eye on her!


----------



## Vickitiel (Oct 10, 2012)

Okay. My Honey has broken blood feathers many times so I've picked up a few tricks. It's not essential (although best) to pull them if the bleeding has stopped, but it's very very important to act quickly if the bleeding repeatedly starts so that she doesn't lose too much blood. Cornflour or regular flour can be used to clot the blood if the bleeding starts again. If she's preening it a lot because it's uncomfortable or half-dislodged, she may pull it out herself (Honey has done this with hers a couple of times). I ended up rushing to the vet because Honey's first broken blood feather was bleeding heavily and would not stop, and they gave me a black powder called Potassium Permanganate. What I did was dip a cotton bud in a little water, dip it in the powder and apply it directly to the wound. It worked really well and allowed the broken feather to either mend itself and continue growing or fall out. It did stain her feathers though, but luckily she soon molted them out. I've never pulled any and she managed to recover very well. And yes, a clipped bird is more prone to breaks when going through a molt because there's little or no feathers to support the new ones.


----------



## annabelcc (Jun 4, 2013)

I've got cornflour on hand incase it starts bleeding again.
I've also got my closest avian vet's number on hand, and I'll be watching her like a hawk.
She had a night fright two days ago, but I'm sure I would have noticed at the time or the next morning if she had damaged the feather then.

It worries me that something could happen while I'm at work and be totally unaware of it for hours!


----------



## Vickitiel (Oct 10, 2012)

Good. It doesn't hurt to be prepared. 



annabelcc said:


> It worries me that something could happen while I'm at work and be totally unaware of it for hours!


I was afraid of this too, but it never happened, although I am at home a lot. You could accident-proof her cage a little bit just to be extra careful, and lower any high perches.


----------



## Amz (Apr 10, 2013)

This happened to me with Rocko during his first molt.

He didn't break the blood feather all the way, he just cracked it. I spotted some dried blood on him and freaked out, just like you did. But I had no idea which feather he had cracked. I looked through his wings and his tail and couldn't find anything. So I left it.

After I came home from school one day, there was a broken blood feather lying on the floor of his cage. There was blood in the shaft, so it was definitely a blood feather. But there was no blood on him or in his cage, so it had to be the feather he had cracked.

Since it didn't have the bulbous tip, that meant there was still a little bit of the feather left in his body - but it was pushed out with the next feather that grew there.

As long as there isn't any more bleeding, I would guess you're in the same situation as me. It'll eventually come out, so I wouldn't worry.


----------



## bjknight93 (Nov 13, 2011)

I've only had to pull one blood feather once, but it was already falling out and was bothering the bird as it dangled around when he moved. I suppose it felt like a loose tooth to him. 

It's good to know how to pull blood feathers though, and to face the fact that one day you may find yourself in a real emergency and you may be forced to pull one to save your bird. Sometimes a bird will have broken a feather so badly that they are losing too much blood and you can't risk waiting to take them to the vet, or you may have the dreaded *Sunday* disaster where there is no vet open to help you.

There is an informational thread on blood feathers in the sticky library that is good to read.


----------



## Amz (Apr 10, 2013)

bjknight93 said:


> or you may have the dreaded *Sunday* disaster where there is no vet open to help you.


I think you mean the 2:30 AM on Friday night disaster, because no vets around here are open on Saturdays OR Sundays


----------



## Vickitiel (Oct 10, 2012)

In my area for weekends there's an emergency vet service available but it costs twice as much as normal. I've used it twice I think...


----------



## bjknight93 (Nov 13, 2011)

I have an emergency vet near me open 24/7, however just to be seen costs $80...and prices for procedures are extremely costly too. I will not pay $100 to have a feather removed when I can do it at home. But then again, I'm a college student and any amount of money I can keep from spending is beneficial.


----------



## CaliTiels (Oct 18, 2012)

I hope she's doing ok! In my opinion, more vets should stay open on the weekends. I only know a very limited few (And luckily _mine_ is one of them)


----------



## Vickitiel (Oct 10, 2012)

bjknight93 said:


> however just to be seen costs $80...and prices for procedures are extremely costly too. I will not pay $100 to have a feather removed when I can do it at home.


 Too right. And, to think that one of the vets I took Honey to said she would have to put her under anaesthesia just to remove a blood feather... Of course I didn't argue, but that's just not necessary. Yes it is painful for the bird and yes it is difficult, but anaesthesia...!? I was mind blown.


----------

