- Hey everybody, Dave and Jamie Womach here
from BirdTricks, and in today's video,
we are going to be sharing what you can learn
about your bird through its feathers.
- So in order to do this,
you need to first understand how the feathers
on your bird work.
- All birds molt out their feathers.
Molting is an annual exchange of feathers.
Out with the old and in with the new,
typically following breeding season.
(Jaime laughs)
Breeding season, y'all.
- Breeding.
Feathers are replaced year round.
As you might've noticed,
when a clipped feather magically becomes whole again,
but the big molt will follow breeding season.
As usual, nature has things well under control.
So because both egg and feather production
takes so many nutrients from the hen's body,
they won't usually occur at the same time
so as not to be too depleting.
There are many birds that line their nests
with feathers molted after the eggs are laid
and prior to hatching.
It's a good system.
- As feathers regrow,
they poke through the skin as prickly little stubs
covered in a keratin sheath.
These are known as pin feathers,
and are uncomfortable to the bird
if they are bumped or pinched.
- Some birds get a little moody during this growth period.
(chuckles)
- You'll notice that there is a blood supply
at the base of the new feather.
This blood supply delivers the nutrients needed
for the continued growth of that feather,
and recedes as soon as the feather is fully developed.
- During this time,
a diet rich in Vitamin A and Calcium is a good way
to help your bird with their feather production.
Orange vegetables like sweet potato, carrots,
and even scrambled eggs with the shell and all
are good sources of calcium.
Frequent bathing and nesting
will help keep the irritating itching to a minimum.
- We've had such a great response
from our new feather therapy aloe spray.
If you haven't tried it already,
it's basically nature's feather conditioner.
Here's some of my favorite reviews
from the 50 plus five star reviews on our aloe.
- [Jamie] My Quaker loves take baths in the sink,
and this was the perfect addition
to relieve some of his itching during the winter months.
- [Dave] My bird does not like to bathe.
I tried a normal spray bottle. and she would not have it.
This is a fine mist and she can tolerate it.
It's been great.
- [Jamie] At first I was just gonna buy the aloe itself,
but this bundle is definitely worth your money.
BirdTrick's spray bottle is a complete game changer.
My green cheeks loved the light mist of the spray,
and also I noticed immediately
that once the aloe was sprayed on,
my bird started to preen it into their feathers.
It's like a conditioner for birds.
I know some bird owners think
that birds can drown from showering, but if anything,
this spray bottle is more of a mist than a stream.
The spray bottle alone is enough
to get people to buy this bundle.
It is seriously amazing, and my birds love it.
- Stress, injury, illness,
and poor nutrition can interfere with
or prevent your bird's molting process.
- Even when your bird is caring for her feathers,
there are signs that will point you in the direction
of a potential problem.
Here's some of the most common feather problems we see
and what they might mean for your bird's future health.
- Dry and brittle feathers.
Feathers should be soft and pliable,
and should not feel coarse and dry.
Dry feathers might indicate a humidity problem in the house.
This will eventually result in dry and itchy skin,
which can bring on plucking.
It will also eventually dry out the nasal passages,
which generally brings on an infection if not addressed.
A humidifier will help, especially in the winter months,
which are among the driest.
Paired with our aloe,
you can get this turned around in no time.
- Dull color is another one.
If your birds feathers look drab,
it's often the result of a lack of sunlight.
If you're unable to use an outdoor aviary for your bird,
the lack of Vitamin D3
will eventually become a health issue.
Vitamin D3 is necessary
to the absorption of calcium in the diet,
and calcium is crucially important to your bird.
- Next is discolorations.
Feather discolorations, such as black tips on feathers
or the appearance of feathers
that are not part of your normal coloration
of your parrot species,
such as yellow feathers on an Eclectus,
where there should be green or red feathers,
are problems that almost always are dietary in nature.
This will tell you that you have work to do
on your bird's diet, and you cannot put it off.
Dietary issues affect the liver,
and feather discolorations are an indication
that the problem has been ongoing.
Your vet can diagnose the condition of the liver
and prescribe supportive care
while you work on improving the diet.
If you don't already know about it,
check out our seasonal feeding system,
which is great for all species of parrots
including the Eclectus in particular.
- Next is stress bars.
These are bands of either discolored
or deep pigmented segments,
or structurally weakened lines
that run crosswise through the feathers.
- In very young birds,
they are generally caused by temperature
or other environmental fluctuations during the production
of their first set of feathers.
And as long as the bird is properly cared for,
future feathers will grow in normally.
- In older birds,
it reflects a more serious problem
as it indicates that there are inadequacies
in the bird's care.
It almost always suggests a dietary issue,
but it can also be a result of a period of emotional stress.
So since stress bars occur during the formation
of the feather, look back around the time
of your bird's Last molt to find the cause.
Antibiotics will sometimes be responsible.
- Next is damaged feathers
that are not related to feather plucking or barbering.
When you find feathers that are damaged,
it is sometimes a result of a fall,
and it should be an infrequent discovery.
- If you find damaged feathers often,
take a look at your bird's feet
to be sure the grip is appropriate
and that there's no foot or leg injuries,
and no pressure sores on the feet.
Watch your bird to make sure he's stable while perching.
- Try to determine if your bird
is experiencing night frights,
which might cause further damage,
and arrange the cage to minimize any contact
with things in the cage during a panic moment or in a fall.
- If a single area of feathering seems disrupted,
but not the result of plucking,
you might find that there's a toy or even the cage bars
that are rubbing against your bird
while they're perched in a favorite spot.
- Dark feathers.
Now, this one might mean there's excess fat in the blood.
It is, again, almost certainly the result of poor diet,
but this indicates the problem is becoming serious,
and you should see your vet right away
to determine the cause of this discoloration.
- Then we are brought to oily feathers.
I have never known feathers that are oily and appearance
to indicate anything other than advanced liver problems.
- The liver is a regenerative organ.
However, areas that are scarred and damaged by disease
are beyond repair.
When there is more tissue in that condition
than healthy tissue, well, your vet cannot work miracles,
but he can help you by providing supportive care
to increase your bird's chances.
- So that brings us around back to molting.
Old feathers that need replacement get molted out.
That is the natural process.
However, when you have experienced any of the above topics
that we brought up,
molting periods take on a heightened level of importance.
The appearance of healthy new feathers tells you
that you're on the right track with your bird,
or it tells you that there is more work yet to be done.
I hope these tidbits of insight
on your bird's feather care helped you.
One thing I do is I keep molted feathers
so that when I go into my birds annual vet exam,
I can take my feathers with me
that might have me questioning something.
- [Dave] Your vet should be eager to educate you,
because when we know better, we do better.
- [Jamie] I'll leave a link below
to our feather therapy aloe bundle,
which includes our spray bottle and aloe,
which you can then purchase refills for.
- [Dave] Why do we include a spray bottle with our aloe?
We want your bird to love it as much as we do.
And since a lot of birds have had a horrible experience
with your typical spray bottle,
we wanted to provide bird owners with a spray bottle
that could act as a fresh start.
- [Jamie] Our spray bottle is quiet,
It gives off a very light mist,
and it doesn't look anything like the evil bottle
that was likely used as punishment
from that previous owner of your bird.
- [Dave] It's also a continuous sprayer.
So if you have a bird who loves to get soaked,
your hand won't fall off from exhaustion while using it.
- I'll be linking to my bathing birds playlist
so you guys have the best chance at training your bird
to love bathing with our aloe.
- Here's to a less itchy molting season.
(chuckles)
- Nailed it.
- Oh yeah.
- We should try saying it the same time.
Ready?
- Nailed it.
- Try it, real quick.
(intense music)