Rubys' Red Feathers

[Graehstone]

Here is one that my Ruby just pulled for me


And you can see that there is red in the main part of the feather and as it gets to the edge, it gets brighter.


It also seems that she is getting more and more of the "red" feathers as she is letting them grow back in. Now this could be that she had them all along and I have just never seen them because she just didn't grow any feathers for me to see let alone red ones.
But I am interested in how many of you have seen this type of feather coloring, where it is different shades of red on the same feather. I know that there is such a thing as different shades of red on one single feather, but not quite like this I don't think.
Might this be cause for concern or is this a type of side affect from her "condition".
I had read someplace that pluckers have a tendancy to grow more red feathers back than they had before.
Just thought I would share and see if this is something any of you might have run across over the years in your dealings with Greys.

[LMPego]

I don't know that much about greys, Graeh :icon_smil , but I think I read something about how red on grey body feathers is a sign of a calcium deficiency. Don't quote me on this, but it may be something to ask your vet.

[SavvyMoon]

Graeh,

Here are a few sites that mention the red feathering in a CAG.
(red factor Greys)


http://www.itsagreysworld.com/articles/about.htm

http://www.petparrot.com/Timneh.htm

http://www.petgalaxy.com/bird_specie...e=African+Grey

Seems like there's nothing to worry about as long as the CAG is
otherwise happy and healthy.

Savvy*

[Lisa B]

My Stirling has the same red feathering... he is a plucker. He has one grey tail feather with the red on the edges. Some greys just have more red, and red "ticks" on thier feathers. Its not a sign of anything that I am aware of.

[jen&friends]

I have not heard anything about this type of coloring, although it's not the type of coloring normally associated with a red factor grey - I've seen quite a few of those. If this is a tail feather then I think it's more of a grey factor... :icon_smil "red factor" would refer to red feathers in places other than the tail. I'm stumped - but now you've got me investigating. :icon_lol:

[Franciscus]

Hi Graeh,

As far as I can tell, that is not a healthy feather, not only is the colour odd, there are weak areas in the barbs called stress bars. I would have the bird checked by a vet to see if there is anything amiss. It could be an allergy to peanuts. I know a few greys that have a peanut allergy and it showed in their feathers, it cleared up after peanuts were taken out of the diet completely, including as an ingredient in pellets. It can also lead to feather plucking, barbing, or other types of feather destruction.

What is the bird's diet? It should be compromized of a good quality pellet, fresh vegetables, dark leafy greens (spinach, Swiss chard, boccoli), orange cooked vegetables (squash and sweet potatoes) and beets, as well as some fruit such as blueberries, melon, and some citrus fruit, and nuts (except peanuts which are actually a legume), cooked brown rice with beans or lentils (to make a complete protein), cooked whole wheat pasta and sprouted seeds.

Frank