[The Outlaw]

Hi. Welcome to the board. I also own a Yellow Nape and a Severe macaw. Your bird will be far more comfortable if you shower her until she's soaked to the skin every other day for the next month. This will loosen the feather sheaths and make her less irritated. And, increase her yellow/orange vegetable consumption. Try feeding lots of cooked sweet potatoes, pumpkin, carrots and squash. These are high in beta carotine, which is essential for good feather production.

Also, once the feather sheaths become white, you can gently break them off with your fingers. She won't be able to remove the ones under her chin and on her head.

Stress bars on blue and green birds appear as black lines and one red birds they appear clear. This is like rings on a tree trunk. It is essentially of time line of when the feather was being produced. If you notice black lines, that means your bird was either deficient in its diet, stressed or possibly ill when that part of the feather was being formed. Most young birds will have them the first year or so since so many accidents and adventures occur then. Chronic stress bars, however, indicate a vet check is in order.

THE OUTLAW