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Post by aaron on Feb 7, 2015 9:43:29 GMT -5
So Cupcake has recently produced one yellow-tipped feather on her head. It is actually rather cute but I am wondering if it means there are nutritional problems. Her feathers look great coming in otherwise... They do get a bit bronzed over time because we hold her so much, but they always look great coming in.
Her diet is Harrison's pellets, cucumber and lentil sprouts daily plus various supplementary items depending on what we are eating... For example (there is more, but here's some): Apples, red or yellow peppers, sweet potato or regular potatoes, sometimes a bit of bread or crust or plain pasta, rice, walnuts, her flax snax that I mentioned in a different thread. She is incredibly stubborn about eating leafy greens so that is lacking in her diet but I like to think the other items make up for it.
Has anyone seen this before? I am familiar with typical stress bars and the effects of nutritional deficiency on feathers and I don't see any of that stuff on her. Thoughts?
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Post by julianna on Feb 7, 2015 15:29:07 GMT -5
I haven't seen this on Oscar but I have seen other quakers that are multiple colors.
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Post by beekersmom on Feb 7, 2015 17:00:26 GMT -5
I'm curious to hear what others have to say about this too. Beeker started getting yellow feathers on his rump a long time ago (like 10+ years ago). I looked and looked online for information but couldn't really find a good answer. He now has several yellow feathers in that area.
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Post by easttex on Feb 7, 2015 17:53:13 GMT -5
African greys will occasionally have a red feather come in somewhere other than the tail. Not common, but not unheard of. There is this, from the archived site, also: www.quakerparrots.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=51264 It talks more of groupings of yellow feathers, but maybe there's something there to set your mind at ease. 
I would think that a real problem would show in more than a single feather, but I am just speculating. Maybe someone else has seen it in their Quaker.
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Post by cnyguy on Feb 7, 2015 23:26:29 GMT -5
Sometimes, when the feather follicles have been damaged at some time in the past, new feathers will grow in in a different color. Typically, they are in a color found somewhere else on the parrot, so on a green QP, they might come in gray or blue-green, or a pale yellow-green.
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Post by brenda on Feb 7, 2015 23:54:50 GMT -5
My Quaker has some brown on the tips of her feathers...I am worried. She also has yellow on the tips of her tail. Anyone have this problem?
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Post by aaron on Feb 8, 2015 0:30:20 GMT -5
Easttex, thanks for posting that thread. That does make me feel a bit better. Cnyguy, what kind of things might damage it? I can't really think of any reason why her follicles might be damaged there, at least as far as physical damage goes. But it does seem like it could be something like what you are describing. Brenda, dark tips of feathers can be a sign of nutritional deficiency. Cupcake actually had them quite clearly for a while when we first had her and fed her seeds. Once we got her on pellets, and actually particularly once she started eating vegetables daily as well, her feathers look much better. To some degree, I understand this can also be caused by contact with human skin oils if you handle your bird a lot... if they come in without dark tips but develop them over time then it could just be how you handle the bird. How is your bird's diet? Appreciate the feedback everyone. |
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Post by brenda on Feb 8, 2015 1:07:03 GMT -5
Mostly seeds?  I am trying to switch her to parrot food...she does eat veggies and fruit, she eats everything. |
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Post by brenda on Feb 8, 2015 1:10:54 GMT -5
She has an appointment on Monday with a bird vet, we handle her a lot, she loves to be with us...she loves to snuggle and be petted. Oils on our hands could be a problem. But I do think she needs to be on pellets, but I don't have the guts to tell her. What Emma wants.....
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Post by aaron on Feb 8, 2015 10:40:05 GMT -5
She has an appointment on Monday with a bird vet, we handle her a lot, she loves to be with us...she loves to snuggle and be petted. Oils on our hands could be a problem. But I do think she needs to be on pellets, but I don't have the guts to tell her. What Emma wants... It would definitely be best to get her on pellets. Seeds are fatty, which can be an issue over time for Quakers as they are fairly susceptible to fatty liver disease, and they also just have a fairly mediocre nutritional profile. The difficulty of the transition from seeds to pellets varies... for us it was really easy, but it definitely isn't for everyone. We coated her seeds in a mash of the pellets as an intermediate step to get her used to the flavor of the pellets. That might help. Oils on your hands aren't a problem, but you want to make sure that is the cause if that's the case. But it doesn't hurt the bird. Try to observe how the feathers look when they are brand new. If they come out bright and in good shape, and then they change after a while, that means the issue relates to how much the bird is handled. But if they have dark tips, or stress bars, or any sort of irregularities in the color, there's probably a nutritional issue, which given that the bird is on seeds is likely, unfortunately. Everyone here will be happy to help, so feel free to ask as many questions as you need to! |
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Post by cnyguy on Feb 8, 2015 20:49:40 GMT -5
what kind of things might damage it? I can't really think of any reason why her follicles might be damaged there, at least as far as physical damage goes. Plucking is probably the most common cause of follicle damage, but something as simple as a broken or damaged feather can lead to follicle damage. Infections can also cause follicle damage. |
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Post by aaron on Feb 9, 2015 0:12:17 GMT -5
Plucking is probably the most common cause of follicle damage, but something as simple as a broken or damaged feather can lead to follicle damage. Infections can also cause follicle damage. Hmmm... well, she has never plucked. But who knows, she could have sustained minor damage for some reason at some point, although nothing comes to mind. Seems like it isn't really anything to be concerned about, particularly if it is only this one that shows up. |
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Post by cnyguy on Feb 9, 2015 20:28:52 GMT -5
My old YCA George once had a blue feather grow in, in the middle of the yellow ones on top of his head-- it matched the blue of his flight feathers. After the next molt, a normal yellow feather replaced the blue one, and no blue feathers ever showed up again, except where they were supposed to be. George's vet suggested that the original yellow feather may have been broken, either when George preened a little too enthusiastically, or rubbed his head on the cage bars.
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Post by aaron on Feb 9, 2015 20:58:15 GMT -5
My old YCA George once had a blue feather grow in, in the middle of the yellow ones on top of his head-- it matched the blue of his flight feathers. After the next molt, a normal yellow feather replaced the blue one, and no blue feathers ever showed up again, except where they were supposed to be. George's vet suggested that the original yellow feather may have been broken, either when George preened a little too enthusiastically, or rubbed his head on the cage bars. Well that definitely makes me feel better. I guess we will see what happens next time feathers come in for cupcake. Hers is on the top of her head as well, interestingly enough... in a place where she can't reach to preen, so actually it's always possible that one of us broke a feather before we got the hang of getting her quills for her. |
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Post by cnyguy on Feb 10, 2015 21:30:43 GMT -5
George was something of a contortionist and would twist himself into some odd positions to be able to preen the pin feathers on top of his head. Sometimes he would rub his head on the cage bars too, so that's probably how the feather on his yellow crown got damaged. Ralph depends entirely on my assistance with the pin feathers on the top of his head, much like Cupcake does. It's possible that something may have damaged the feather on her head before she joined your flock-- maybe when she was fledging. That's not uncommon, and seems more likely to me than any harm being done by your preening assistance. I've read that it may take several molts before an odd-colored feather will show up after a follicle was damaged.
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I am trying to switch her to parrot food...she does eat veggies and fruit, she eats everything.