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Tiels N Conures : "ingrown" feathers?
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Recommend  Message 1 of 8 in Discussion 
From: MSN NicknameMzMarz  (Original Message)Sent: 10/19/2004 8:43 PM
Any idea where to start with this one?
I have a 6 yr old female handfed tiel...she's never learned to fly (I've always kept her wings clipped) but now that my two other tiels can fly, I figure she should have the chance, too (don't worry...no other pets in my house, no open windows, no ceiling fans, nothing to burn tootsies on, no open toilet seats, etc.). 
Question is:  one of her wings has grown out BEAUTIFULLY, the other seems *stunted* for lack of a better term.  She can't seem to get it groomed well enough for it to grow out.  Lots of bloodfeathers, seems like she's got a lot of feathers that break off before they can completely grow out of the wax sheath.  I'm wondering if it's a case of *possibly* ingrown feathers?  Like I said, she's from a breeder, paid good money for a GOOD bird...her feather quality (denseness, color, etc.) and temprament are so much better than my other 2 petstore birds, so I am ruling out "bad genes"...advice or other discussions that may apply?
 
She's constantly JUMPING (cause she sees the other 2 flying around) and usually has a hard landing...  Wondering what I can do to help her grow the wing out...


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Recommend  Message 2 of 8 in Discussion 
From: MSN Nicknameannieokie100Sent: 10/19/2004 9:51 PM
To me, this sounds like an injury to her feather follicles on the "bad" wing.  Doesn't make sense that one wing grows beautifully and the other doesn't, except for that, especially since feather molt usually happens on each side of the body at pretty much the same time.
Maybe a vet could test a feather and see why this happens.
Do you yourself clip her, or could someone have clipped her too closely and injured her?
Annie

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Recommend  Message 3 of 8 in Discussion 
From: MSN NicknameMzMarzSent: 10/19/2004 11:47 PM
I have both had her clipped by someone else & have clipped her myself.  When I clipped her myself, though, it was always to trim off the 'stray' growing feather so that it matched the previous clip line (which was done by a bird groomer).  Never thought of the clipping/injury aspect of it.  Her broken off wing sprouts usually are VERY tapered at the ends and almost look pinched, like the shaft has stop letting the new feather grow (looks like a normal sprouting feather towards the "free" end of the feather).  Does this make sense? Yes, I agree, strange that it would be happening on one side and not the other.. injury sounds like a likely cause.  But, now I just wonder what to do to help her fill out the "bad side"...she flaps & flaps & feels the lift on the good side and, thus, I guess makes her feel like she can take the plunge.  She seems SO ready to fly and it breaks my heart!

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Recommend  Message 4 of 8 in Discussion 
From: MSN Nicknameannieokie100Sent: 10/20/2004 1:55 PM
Do you ever gently pinch the tips to release the keratin coating at the ends of the feathers? I used to do that occasionally on wing and body feathers if one looked like it was stuck. Especially on the tops of their heads, mine will sometimes seem stuck.  Probably would finally release but they seem to like the little pinches.
A vet could pull one of the encased pinfeathers and see if the shaft looks normal where it is inside the follicle. 
Annie

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Recommend  Message 5 of 8 in Discussion 
From: MSN NicknameMzMarzSent: 10/20/2004 10:30 PM
I always do the wax on her neck & head feathers.  She doesn't allow grooming on her parts that she can groom herself.

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Recommend  Message 6 of 8 in Discussion 
From: DeedeSent: 5/18/2007 3:59 AM
Sounds to me like she might also be biting her feathers off.   Dianne

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Recommend  Message 7 of 8 in Discussion 
From: MSN NicknameMzMarzSent: 11/19/2007 7:04 PM
strange to see this message I posted so long ago pop up...this bird, Lyla, passed over the rainbow in January of 2006. The more I think about her bad wing, the more it leads me to think she had cancer or something. definitely think something was wrong with her & the other two birds knew it.

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Recommend  Message 8 of 8 in Discussion 
From: MSN NicknameScots101Sent: 11/19/2007 7:45 PM
A lot of times it is due to injuries and the cysts (ingrown feathers) is probably trauma to the follicle (the base of the feather) Over preening begins and irritates it even further...
Disease plays a big part in the lack of feather growth and since birds hide their ailments so well usually it's progressed to a point of help being limited to save the birds life.

What I did see a lot of was people using scissors that weren't sharp enough to cut feathers and instead would clamp the end preventing future normal growth....

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