Rubbing neck pin feathers? Bad or good?

[EasternShoreMD]

Previous owner did lightly squeeze Rhett's ( A Scarlet Macaw) neck pins. Is there a good way to do this or should we not.

He seems to love it for a bit then let us know when to stop.
Biteing has been minimal so far.

[KimM]

Sure . It's fine to squeeze the tips of the pin feathers.. Just make sure they're ready to come off. You can usually tell by color and feel. They turn almost pure white and feel almost like paper. IF you go back to far, you may hit the capillary which means that portion of the feather is not ready to come off yet. It may cause bleeding.
They love it. It's helping them preen, especially around their neck and head which they cannot preen unless they have a buddy. They would do this in the wild with each other. In your home, you're they're flockmate

[guest1717171]

boogie and chicken do not hesitate to let me know if i accidentally squeeze a feather that isnt quite ripe yet

chicken's AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHK startles me so bad it hurts my back when i jump lol

[Lori~D]

Yes, Usually they let you know when you hit a sensitive one but will usually let you go on and do more if your careful.

[seagem]

Do you actually squeeze them or pluck them out?

[guest1717171]

no plucking!!!

when the casing is ready to come off it is dry and brittle and in areas where the bird cant get them off him/herself you'll find them intact

they give a satisfying crunch when you squeeze them so be careful because once you start you will be addicted....

then they just kind of flake away after you crush them

if you squeeze on thats not ready yet it hurts them...

[seagem]

Thanks for the info. My bird too has them on the top of his head and was just wondering. I'm new to all of this, but learning.

[Jun]

Just like what geekasaurus said..............it's addicting (like popping bubble wraps...) lol. They will let you know if you hit the sensitive ones.

[RavenclawPrefect]

Savannah likes to have her head rubbed when she was getting those itchy pin feathers. Zazu is going through a molt and nudges my hand to rub his head. If I pinch a feather that is not ready, he is more than willing to squawk and let me know.

Savannah fluffs her head feathers up and starts her contortionist act when I rub her head. I think she likes it :)

Some birds don't though. My little birds are sure I am going to kill them if I try to rub their heads.

[EasternShoreMD]

I would never DARE pull a feather...BAD DADDY!

He has responded well to the squeezeing.... We will miss him when the family decides they are ready to take him back. The daughter has 2 years of school left. My worry is she won't love him like we do. Any concerns we need to address after two years with us?