Pin feathers, do they itch?

[Kaleah]

I have had Kaleah for nearly a month and a half. When I first got her she had plucked her neck and chest almost bald. Since bringing her home she had stopped plucking almost completely. Now she is full of new downy and pin feathers. The pin feathers seem like they are driving her crazy though. She is always scratching at her neck and loves for me to scratch it too, but I've noticed that some of the pin feathers are being pulled out. She doesn't seem to touch the down feathers at all, but she over preens the pins to the point where she pulls out one of two. Where ever she pulls one out I can see more more of the feather coming in behind it. She hasn't bled at all, as I know the pin feathers can have a blood supply running to them, so I haven't been overly concerned but I am worried that if she keeps it up she is going to fall back into the plucking habit. Something I obviously don't want. If I catch her messing with the new feathers I will scratch them for her, to keep her from wanting to pull on them. I mist her a few times a week. She hates it so I haven't tried with a full on shower yet, but I thought that might help with the itching too. Any suggestions?

 

I love that she has so many new feathers coming in but I don't want her to be uncomfortable either. What can I do?

[Spinner]

Yes, the pin feathers can be uncomfortable for birds. When moulting, greys really do enjoy neck and head scritches.

 

Try a daily or twice-daily oatmeal bath for Kaleah. Mix a spoonful of the powder in a cup of water, put in a mister, and spray all over (except for the head). It's become a daily ritual for one of my greys who now enjoys it - she even lifts up her wings when I get ready to spray under them.

 

Check local pet stores for colloidal oatmeal products. Drugstores also carry many brands, such as Aveeno. Avitech sells a product called FeatherIn, available at http://www.avitec.com/Feather-In-AntiPick-Treatment-p/fi.htm - also order some of their Aloe spray while there. Any colloidal oatmeal product (without any additives such as moisturizers) will make a big difference. In fact, you can make your own colloidal powder wth a clean coffee grinder and dry oatmeal. Google the net for more info.

 

These products help soothe the skin and soften the feathers. It makes a big difference. I have a grey that "over preens" and this helps tremendously.

[birdhouse]

You said she doesn't like misting? You could try putting a cup of oatmeal bath in her cage. It shouldn't hurt her at all to drink it & she might bath in it.

 

Do you actually rub the sheath off when you scritch Kaleah? Some of my birds like to sit for quite a while & let me do that. They'll grab me if I start working on the wrong feather, though. Then they still expect me to keep preening. Sometimes, they'll grab me if I try to stop, too.

[danmcq]

The others gave great advice.

 

One other thing you can try if that area is exposed to skin level, would be to rub 100% Aloe Gel into the skin in that area. Iy might work for you since she does not like misting with water or Aloe, but will let you touch to give scratches.

[judygram]

Dave007 has always been a believer in spraying aloe vera juice on our birds to help with dry skin, maybe you could try misting her a couple of times a week to help with the itching but give Spinner's idea a try too, both of these guys know what they are talking about and have the experience to back up what they say.

[Kaleah]

I do have some aloe gel that I got over the summer for a sun burn. I can use that? Never thought about using it before, but I'm more than up for giving it a try. Anything to make her feel better.

 

And no, Birdhouse, I didn't think I should try to rub the sheath off, so I never have.

 

Also, the ingredients on the back of the aloe gel bottle are: aloe vera gel, triethanolamine, tocopheryl acetate, carbomer 941, tetrasodium edta, dmdm hydantoin, diazolidinyl urea.

 

It is alcohol and fragrance free. This is safe to use on her or should 100% aloe vera gel?

[Azzie]

No use 100% aloe juice. Tocopheryl is just vitamin E, often used as a preservative, which in itself is ok. The triethanolamine is nasty though, it's an alcohol product, as the name ethanol suggests. It can cause allergic reactions in humans, and there is some speculation that it is linked to tumour growth.

 

As Birdhouse suggested, if your bird will let you, taking the spent keratin sheet off the feathers can help as well. You will know it's ready to come off by looking at the colour. If the keratin is white, it's ready. If it has red or a dark grey/black colour in it, there is still a live blood supply. Keratin that is ready to be removed will flake off very easily with a light rubbing motion.

 

Growing new feathers is much like a baby teething. New feathers grow through the skin in hard pointy spikes, and it can be painful and itchy. Showering or bathing can help soften the keratin and make it less uncomfortable.

[Luvparrots]

I scratch Ana Grey's pin feathers for her all the time but anytime I have tried to "help" take the covers off she has nipped me and then pulled my hand back for more scratches. I take it that she doesn't like my helping, only the scratching.

[Azzie]

I get a bit obsessive compulsive sometimes, and I can spend hours grooming my lorikeets and grey, picking off the keratin lol. One of the keets loves it, he sort of collapses on my lap and starts making baby noises and cheeps.

[Kaleah]

Well, I have been scratching Kaleah off and on for nearly an hour. I tried a few times to help pick off the keratin and got myself warning nips. I'm going to stop at Walmart on my way home from work tomorrow and get some colloidal oatmeal and some aloe vera juice if I can find it.

[judygram]

I don't know about the colloidal oatmeal but you can find the aloe vera juice in the pharmacy department with the digestive upset remedies, at least that is where I found it in our Walmart.

[Kaleah]

Found the aloe juice and all the birdies got "bath" with it. The 'tiels loved it (of course) but Kaleah hated it. She got so mad she ripped out a feather . Not what I was going for but she seems less itchy now. Might try with another misting again this afternoon.

[birdhouse]

It's ok for her to drink it. Will she take a bath on her own? Or you could wet your fingers in it & scritch her, maybe?

[Kaleah]

I think I'm going to try just wetting my fingers in it and scratching her. She loves scratches from mom and would let me do it all day if I allowed it. Sometimes she will bathe herself on her own in her water dish. She goes to town dunking her head in then whipping it up and flapping her wings, but it's not an everyday thing. I hate misting her because it upsets her but I know she needs to have it done.

[birdhouse]

My guys don't like it either. I have found that the right rhythm, the right bottle & the right mist concentration make it a little better. But that's about it.

 

So, you have an excuse to scritch her. Not like you need one And you give her aloe water in the cage. And the tiels lucked out too.

[Dave007]

Taking a bit and putting it on your fingers isn't gonna do any good. Below is a link that tells you all about it, how to use it, methods of using it, the benefits of using it and it tells about the different attitudes birds have towards it

 

http://www.greyforums.net/forums/showthread.php?189967-100-natural-aloe-vera-juice

[birdhouse]

Is it worth it if she's going to get that stressed, Dave?

 

She seems to have pretty much stopped plucking & is just over sensitive to her new feathers. Is there any concern that the spraying might drive her back to plucking outright, again?

[Dave007]

I doubt very much that the spray will make her pluck again. In the article I wrote, there's a few ways of doing it and also how some birds take to being sprayed with anything. I would suggest that you spray her from a distance where she won't look at the sprayer as an enemy. Yes, you'll get other things wet in the beginning but it'll be a start. Aloe juice is extremely inexpensive. I gallon jugs can be purchased at Walmart for $9. People here can tell you about how differently their birds reacted and how their bird gradually came around. With some birds it takes a while. all greys are different. None will take to things the same way because of their individual personalities.

If you spray from a distance generally aim for the breast area. Juice is most effective when it hits all areas that will quickly take it in. Spraying on the tops of feathers like wing and tail feathers is really a waste of time. Any liquid will just roll off their feathers. The juice is basically for making the skin softer and less itchy and more supple. With many birds, they get angry from the spraying but those same birds actually like the results afterward when they're preening. They just won't tell you. Actions speak louder than words. Just make sure that anything you spray on your bird should remain on your bird. No towels, no hair dryers. The more soaked a bird is, the longer the skin stays wet allowing the skin to be less itchy and irritating. A bird staying very wet for an hour or more is the best thing that can happen to the bird.

Edited November 9, 2010 by Dave007

[Kaleah]

Thanks Dave. She has never pulled out feathers while being sprayed with water but she did while being sprayed with the aloe juice. I wonder if it was because of the smell. The action and feeling she knows but it didnt smell the same.

 

I read somewhere that for misting Greys it's best to be close to them so that they can see what is spraying them. So that's how I've been doing it. She doesn't seem to mind getting wet, but I think the feeling of the water hitting her is what freaks her out.

[Dave007]

Smell? I don't think so. Yes, you're right, the closer the better but you need to work in order to get there. Some birds are afraid of a light all around mist but won't be afraid of a close mist. A good way to accomplish that is be using 1/2 squirts and making the mister less misty. Don't forget, the most important places to spray juice is the breast, upper and lower and the area between the inner wings that attach to the body. These areas can get itchy but doing it only once a week is fine especially if your bird isn't constantly pulling and picking on those areas. If your bird has dirt/dust ON the wings or tail feathers, that comes under the catagory of wetting down your bird so that dirt is removed. Usually, plain water is used. When using plain water, it should be on the cool side. That even applies to the juice but I have no ifea whether that would be a pain in the ass for you to do. A small amont of time in fridge is what is required. Now you might say *why cooler water?* Well, it's been seen over and over that after a bird has been sprayed down with room temp water and totally clean, the bird will then be put in a cage where there's cool drinking water and the first thing the bird does is try to climb into the bowl to get wet. Strange, I know but birds will be birds. In the wild, birds try to find the coolest water to bathe in.

[Guest]

Kaleah, she may be itching and scratching and pulling feathers simply in an attempt to get the hard sheaths away (they poke their skin - can't feel good). In the wild, birds preen each others' necks and heads because birds cannot reach their own necks and heads. So perhaps starting helping her remove the sheaths from the emerging feathers will solve the problem. (Use your thumb and index fingernails to pinch through the sheath. It is extremely easy to do and really gives the birds a huge comfort, since the hard sheath is no longer stabbing their skin.)

 

Hope this helps.