Blood feathers??

[ScarletFire]

I have a baby who's being parent raised, though we're handling him daily. I've got 6 tiels and never had one break a blood feather but we just got home to find this little guy (3 weeks old) with a few of his new crest feathers broken.

Now they are not currently bleeding but it looks to me like that's because the blood has congealed at the tip of the feathers. I'm affraid if that part gets rubbed off he'll start bleeding agian. There is hardly any blood on him so it doesn't look like it bled much.

I guess my question is if he's not bleeding will the feathers heal at all or do I need to go ahead an pull them? Is there a difference between a blood feather and an almost full grown feather that would account for just a few drops of blood and nothing further?

I don't want to put him through any more stress than he's already been through, but I'd rather he have a little pain than bleed to death. Any advice would be apreciated. I'm not sure if his parents did this to him or what (they've been plucking him lately, he seems to have some scabs on his back from where it looks like feathers were pulled. I may have to pull him to hand feed, which I'm no stranger to but I really didn't want to do.)

Anyway, i would welcome advice. I'm thinking of calling the emergency vet though their advice is usualy 'bring him in or call the vet on monday'.

PS. Sorry if I posted this in the wrong forum, I was kinda in a hurry

[Monica]

Do you have any other pairs right now that might raise the chicks??? Do you have a breeder or vet willing to show you how to handfeed or take the chicks to handfeed if it's a must?

I don't suggest you try handraising on your own without getting guidance first, however it doesn't sound like you should leave the chick with the parent either.

[denmor55]

Feather chewing by the parents can be a problem but not usually an emergency situation. The feathers may show a bit of dried blood at the tips but I have never seen a baby bleed enough to cause a problem, but the babies should be fostered or hand fed because the plucking or chewing will get worse the older they get.

The babies parents will have to be carefully watch if they have any more clutches because which ever one is chewing the feathers will do that with every clutch.

I have one pair of whiteface tiels I have to pull the babies at 8 to 10 days or the parents will pluck them bald. If they didn't have such beautiful babies I would never let them breed.

[ScarletFire]

Right now there is no one else who will adopt him. I've done hand feeding before so I'm already pretty well aware of how to go about that if I have to.

Last year I had to raise a baby from about two days old. That was an interesting experience.

Right now I have him seperated from the parents (being kept warm by the same heating pad I used for the baby last year, though with his feathers all growing out I think he's getting beyond needed that so much). i let the parents have supervised access to feed him only. So far they seem pretty okay with this, but I'm not sure how long it will last. I will prepare for hand feeding him if necessary and see how long this goes on.

They hadn't actually been sitting with him for the past few days anyway. They've only come around to feed him and apparently to pick at him.

I stand over them when they feed him, and I'm only letting the father have access as I think the mother did the chewing.

He's only got two full length crest feathers now and they look like goat horns. Poor little guys is terrofied of everything except me now

The shortened feathers still have some dried blood on them but otherwise he looks to be doing okay.

Thank you for the advice and help.

[ScarletFire]

Just wanted to give an update. He's doing great. His parents are still feeding him but he spends most of his time with me since I'm home all day so i don't let them chew on his feathers. They're growing back now. He took his first flight two days ago.