Feather damage - cause?

[Guest]

Got a shock when I opened this yearling hen's right wing and saw the state of her 5th Primary.

 

As you may be able to see from the grainy pic, its not a clean straight line break, but ragged and very uneven. Her other feathers are OK and the other birds are also OK.

 

Any ideas as to cause - is it insect damage?

 

Also any comments on the feather's structure?  Shaft does seem to run pretty close to the leading edge? Is it malformed?

[PIGEON_MAN]

WAS THIS HEN AWAY AT THE TIME SHE WAS MOULTING THIS FLIGHT AS THIS WILL CAUSE THE PROBLEM,IF SHE WAS LIVING ROUGH OR SOMETHING THE FLIGHTS DONT GROW THROUGH AS THEY SHOULD I SUPPOSE BECAUSE THE BIRD IS NOT GETTING THE PROPER NOURISHMENT.COULD ALSO BE THE WORK OF A MOTH AS I HAVE SEEN FLIGHTS LIKE THIS THAT HAVE BEEN ATTACKED BY THEM,LOOKS AS IF THE END FLIGHT AND ALSO THE THIRD ONE DOWN IS A BIT FRAYED AS WELL.

[THE FIFER]

THIS LOOKS LIKE MOTHS, OR MICE, GIVE THE NOOKS AND CRACKS AROUND THE INSIDE OF THE LOFT A SPRAY WITH HOUSEHOLD FLY KILLER. IF U GOT MOTHS U WILL SEE THEM ALL COME OUT,

[jimmy white]

i think if it had been out a couple of nights while growing this feather the marks would be on both wing flights , a mouse would certainly do this , but would be more rather to think it would have been one of the outer flights , my own opinion is the moth is the culprit, but again thats a wild guess , but certainly a good photo explaining the prob

[jimmy white]

bruno ,,, picture puzzling me,, ,i think the 2 outer flights are just the photo, but just performed one of my nutty proffesor experiments,, ive just went in to the loft and took a flight feather out,,,touched it at that point of your flight, with a cigarette, gave it a little brush , and it looks exactly the same , ill try and get pictiure of this flight feather,,, but just a shot in the dark , could this have been a spark, burn from chimney???,i know you dont smoke so its not you, must admit all this is very unlikely , but if i can just get this photo done and send it , you will be amazed at the resemblence :)

[Guest]

Thanks for your replies.

 

The bird is actually moulting out after being absent from the loft from July 2005 until April 2006. She held her last three nest flights on each wing and these were the first to moult out after she returned this year. The nicked appearance of these flights is just the photo, these are new flights and are fine, but I do expect her to drop them again. The damaged flight is a new one too.

 

The mouse bit concerns me. Bit like bolting the stable door I know, but had suspected night visits for some time and have blocked the only way in I could see .. a 1" sq mesh panel ... replaced it by 1/2" sq mesh and belt & braces with 2 ultrasonic deterrents inside about 3 weeks ago, and from today, another 1 outside, which does cats, squirrels & foxes too.

 

Have only seen the odd moth this year; keep the boxes & bowls clean and the box floors and bowls are sprinkled with Stalosan to deter insects.

 

Jimmy, only open flame outside is BP Grangemouth flares. Can't see her going near them though, more likely fried bird than singed flight. She's not one for sitting about outside either, so unlikely to have come into contact with the likes of a 'hot' central heating flue etc.

 

 

 

 

[jimmy white]

did you get the photos bruno

[Roland]

Moths or Mice... more likey mice...

[Guest]

did you get the photos bruno

 

Yes, thanks again Jimmy for your trouble.

 

Later photos are very like my flight. Also brought back to mind a young cock with curious damage to his tail feathers ... looked very much like someone had taken a pair of scissors to him?

 

Showed a couple of clubmates the damaged tail and they agreed looked like scissor cuts!!!!

 

But if it is down to burns, I'm puzzled. Nothing 'hot' except for a gas boiler flue on the house roof.

 

Hasn't happened before.

 

 

[Wiley]

could be fret marks had two come back this yr like it,

[Guest shadow]

fret marks normally show up as kinks or marks across the quill