How to Help a Bird With a Broken Blood Feather
Learn Why Some Feathers Bleed and Learn to Stop Bleeding in Feathers
Dec 22, 2008
Broken blood feathers pose a serious danger to young birds and birds who are molting. If a pet bird's blood feather is broken, heavy bleeding can occur. This bleeding can be so severe that the bird can die from blood loss. Therefore, it's vital that all bird owners know how to treat a bird who has a broken and bleeding blood feather.
What Is a Bird's Blood Feather? Do All Birds Have Blood Feathers?
All birds have blood feathers. Blood feathers are seen in baby birds who are growing feathers for the first time and in adult birds who have molted and are growing new feathers.
When a new feather is growing in, they will appear as little straight white pins poking through the bird's skin. The bird's new feathers consist of a tube of keratin (the same substance that comprises human hair and nails). These new, immature feathers require a blood supply to develop and grow, so these "tubes" contain arteries and veins that deliver blood to the growing feather. These immature feathers that contain a blood supply are called blood feathers.
As the feather matures, the arteries and veins will retreat, leaving a hollow tube behind. This is why mature feathers do not bleed when plucked or broken.
But damage to a blood feather can cause serious, life-threatening bleeding. More minor feathers around the bird's cere (the base of the beak, where the bird's nostrils are located) typically bleed for less than a minute, since these feathers are small and therefore have a very small blood supply.
Life-threatening situations unfold when the bird's larger blood feathers break, since these feathers contain larger arteries and veins. The bird's more major feathers are located on the wings and on the tail and it's these blood feathers that pose the greatest risk. And unfortunately, it's the feathers of the tail and wings that tend to be most prone to blood feather breakage.
How Does a Bird's Blood Feather Break?
Blood feathers can break or sustain damage in many ways. A blood feather on the wing could break if the bird strikes its wing on an object in the cage. The same goes for the tail, if the bird's rear end strikes an object.
A fight between birds could result in blood feather breakage (most often, around the head and neck). Preening and plucking are also common causes of blood feather damage.
What Should I Do if My Bird Breaks a Blood Feather?
If a bird breaks a blood feather, bleeding will start almost immediately. It can be very difficult to stop the bleeding associated with a broken blood feather, particularly in a small bird.
The best course of action is to rush the bird to an avian veterinarian. The veterinarian can pluck the broken blood feather. This will leave behind a small hole in the skin that may also bleed, but it's much easier to get the bleeding under control when it involves the skin.
If a visit to the avian veterinarian is not an option, the next best treatment for a broken blood feather involves applying pressure with a sterile, absorbent, scent-free tissue or paper towel.
It can be difficult to stop the bleeding from a blood feather by applying pressure on a small bird because the pressure necessary to stop the bleeding is often sufficient to break the tiny bird's bones. So bird owners must take extreme caution when applying pressure to a bird's broken blood feather, particularly in the case of smaller birds.
Usually, when applying pressure, the bleeding will have slowed significantly within 10 minutes. Pressure may need to be applied for upwards of half an hour before the bleeding stops completely.
The absolute last resort treatment for a bird with a broken blood feather involves plucking the feather at home, without the assistance of a veterinarian. This is not something that should ever be attempted unless the situation is dire and the bird is facing certain death due to blood loss.
Plucking a blood feather at home can be tricky and when done improperly, the feather may not be plucked out; it may break off close to the skin instead. The feather must be plucked using tweezers, placed at the feather base. The feather must be plucked by pulling the feather straight out of the skin in the direction of growth; attempting to pluck the feather at an angle can lead to breakage. Plucking a blood feather at home is not something that should ever be attempted unless the situation is dire and there is no other option.
Related Reading
Bird owners may also enjoy reading How Can You Tell if a Bird is Sick? and How to Make a Sick Cage for an Ill Bird.
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