eating feathers

[catchthepigeon]

While handling all my birds today i picked up a blue cock and on examining his wing i found one of his flight had been eaten the full top half of the flight is missingit looks like it has been cut with a pair of scissors but the quil is still there it seems something has eaten the feathers on both sides of the quil does anyone know what may have caused this and should i pull the flight out to let it regrow

[bewted]

sounds like a moth ! but,might be wrong too !

[catchthepigeon]

The moth must have good straight teeth

[bewted]

The moth must have good straight teeth

 

you would be suprised what a moth can do to birds feathers,,,read about it,then you will know more instead or stupid remarks like must have straight teeth !

[Guest IB]

Don't know of anything in nature that would eat feather away from the shaft leaving just the bare shaft?

 

But if its the whole top part of the feather, shaft too, that's gone, its likely to have been a fret mark thats broken off.

 

Wait till bird has regrown 10th primary then pull the defective one, it'll grow back in no bother.

[catchthepigeon]

 

you would be suprised what a moth can do to birds feathers,,,read about it,then you will know more instead or stupid remarks like must have straight teeth !

sorry i didnt know it was a silly remark no need to read il take ibs advice and yes it has left the shaft il pull it out and il put some moth balls in my loft MERRY XMAS

 

[Guest IB]

 

you would be suprised what a moth can do to birds feathers,,,read about it,then you will know more instead or stupid remarks like must have straight teeth !

 

For the record, moths do not have chewing mouthparts, so cannot damage anything, far less feathers. What moths do is mate and lay eggs. Eggs hatch into grubs. Grubs eat. But nothing grub-like would survive in a pigeon loft given that pigeons eat grubs too.

[catchthepigeon]

 

For the record, moths do not have chewing mouthparts, so cannot damage anything, far less feathers. What moths do is mate and lay eggs. Eggs hatch into grubs. Grubs eat. But nothing grub-like would survive in a pigeon loft given that pigeons eat grubs too.

there we have it so it cant be moths its a mystery to me its a clean cut i will pull it out and il just put it down to a mystery

 

 

[Guest IB]

there we have it so it cant be moths its a mystery to me its a clean cut i will pull it out and il just put it down to a mystery

 

 

Can you put up a picture of the damaged feather?

[catchthepigeon]

Yes i will put a picture up before i pull it out

[catchthepigeon]

o

[pjc]

you sure he hasn't damaged it in the loft?

Have you got wire on the front or a wire aviary he could have caught the flight on flying against the wire?

[catchthepigeon]

you sure he hasn't damaged it in the loft?

Have you got wire on the front or a wire aviary he could have caught the flight on flying against the wire?

i dont have any wire where he could have got damages i have louvres

 

[Guest bigbok]

it also looks like mice damage !!! a bit cold for moths this time of the year but mice are very active

but moths do a whole lot of damage also and they can cut knaw in straight lines !!!

[catchthepigeon]

it also looks like mice damage !!! a bit cold for moths this time of the year but mice are very active

but moths do a whole lot of damage also and they can cut knaw in straight lines !!!

Moths dont have teeth as stated above and wouls a pigeon sit there while a mouse chewed on its feathers

 

[Guest IB]

Damage reminds me of a post + pic Jimmy White put up a couple of years ago which showed a feather that had been burned by a cigarette / cigarette ash.

[catchthepigeon]

IT Cant be my pigeons dont smoke  ;D

i dont smoke in my loft either

[Guest grizzler]

it also looks like mice damage !!! a bit cold for moths this time of the year but mice are very active

but moths do a whole lot of damage also and they can cut knaw in straight lines !!!

 

would have to agree a few years ago had a lot of show birds ruined over a couple of days by mice  collecting the feathers for building a nest

 

[degi]

fungal  infection on quil pigeon prunes itself feathers pull out ?

[Guest bigbok]

Moths dont have teeth as stated above and wouls a pigeon sit there while a mouse chewed on its feathers

yer catch the pigeon they would especially if they are perched or roosting or sitting

as for teeth on moths are you an entomologist !!! im not on about a set of simon cowel gnashers you no !!!

;) ;)

 

[Guest bigbok]

i ve had massive moth problems in the past and they DO EAT FEATHERS  mouth parts or not are you absoloutly sure of this

coz im not but have seen the damage done by moths and mice before

[shweet]

yeah I would say a mouse chewed it.

[Guest Freebird]

Don't think the mouse opened the wing and picked an awkward feather to eat. Surely if there was a posibility of a mouse eating feathers while the bird casually looked on it would pick something easier like the edge of a tail feather. Put it down to damage but if it continues then then you have serious probs.

[Guest frank dooman]

are yous realy sugesting a bird will sit in the one place and let a mouse eat feathers  :-/ :-/ :-/ :-/

[Guest slugmonkey]

Do you have any neighbors that fly fish ? I would be on the lookout for a guy with small scissors and a fly tying vise.