eating feathers

[Guest IB]

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

 

MOUTHPARTS OF SELECTED INSECT ORDERS

 

Lepidoptera (butterflies & moths): sucking

 

http://www.backyardnature.net/insmouth.htm

 

How can this chew anything?:-

 

 

[Guest frank dooman]

dont pull any flight out you might cause a blood quill is it a racer? if you must do anything cut the flight stright and get an old feather push a needle down the middle of both ends and superglue it it then trim it the shape it should be it will last for a couple of weeks better still just stop the bird till next year dont pull anything let it throw it its self

[Guest IB]

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

 

Couple of years back put up a pic of a damaged feather, and someone suggested mouse did it. Agree with you Frank, and don't see a mouse wanting to get too close to a pigeon either.

[Guest frank dooman]

i would go with some sort of feather rot or feather mite going across the flight a bird would be off its mark if something moved too quick/close to it and as you say ian the mouse wont be in a hurry to go near something the size of a pigeon

[Guest stb-]

why did they put moths balls in cupboards then to stop the moths eating holes in the clothes

 

then.  

[Guest spin cycle]

could some kind of irritation lead to the bird overpreening and damaging the feather itself ? do the birds have accsess to baths regularly ?

[Guest frank dooman]

the lack of oily seeds makes the feathers dry and can break but usualy stright across could it have missed a few feeds during the moult ? if not this bird is suspect and should be marked in the book i could bet you you wont have the same prob. with that bird next year it wont be there

[Guest IB]

why did they put moths balls in cupboards then to stop the moths eating holes in the clothes

 

then.  

 

Another myth / half-truth. Moth balls deter moths from staying in cupboards and laying eggs on clothes stored there. The eggs hatch into grubs / caterpillars. The grubs eat the clothes, not the moths. Same with butterflies, its caterpillars that eats leaves, not the butterfly.

[catchthepigeon]

dont pull any flight out you might cause a blood quill is it a racer? if you must do anything cut the flight stright and get an old feather push a needle down the middle of both ends and superglue it it then trim it the shape it should be it will last for a couple of weeks better still just stop the bird till next year dont pull anything let it throw it its self

 

yes its a racer and its too late i have pulled the flight im sure it will be ok?

[catchthepigeon]

the lack of oily seeds makes the feathers dry and can break but usualy stright across could it have missed a few feeds during the moult ? if not this bird is suspect and should be marked in the book i could bet you you wont have the same prob. with that bird next year it wont be there

no my birds never miss a feed there fed the same times every day and why will the bird not be there next year i dont think his damaged feather has damaged his navigational equipment and hes a good bird

 

[tommy.walsh]

i got 6 late breeds last year and most of them had broken feathers much worse than showing in the picture most likely it was some sort of mite as this year all the birds have there feathers which are perfect.i normaly bath my birds in garlic salt or vinger cider

[Guest bigbok]

just had thesesent to me from my mate in australia notice the pigeons fleeing for their lives in case the black tiapan eats them alive !!!! notice how they are really concerned about their safety nad their flight feathers been chewed