Fantais tail......

[Peckedhen]

My fantail is growing new tail feathers. The old ones haven't fallen out yet but, the new feathers are about 3" long and they are sort of encased in the quill with about 1/2" at the top which free. Is this normal? Does the feather eventually open up? :-/ :-/

[mealybar]

http://www.pigeonbasics.com/articles/article47.html This might shed some light The quills like that are normal, and yep they open up when they get a bit longer.

[Peckedhen]

Phew!  Thanks for that mealybar.  They all look like chimney sweep's brushed at the moment! ;D

[Joe90]

get a photo up so we can see how the bird looks

[Guest]

Sounds like 'pipey' feathers, Peckedhen.  

 

No big deal (I hope) feather sheath just a tad too strong for the emerging feather to break out properly.

 

Run a thumbnail gently backwards and forwards up and down the sheath along the feather shaft and you'll scrape tiny slivers from it and weaken it, allowing the feather to break out.

 

Try and get them to bathe twice a week during their moult.

 

[Peckedhen]

Here's that photo you asked for Joe90. I had a go at scraping the quill but overdid it !

 

[Guest]

Well all I can see are pipey feathers. Do others agree?

 

There's no dark shafts suggesting anything like a blood feather.

 

You said that this was the bird with the illness problem. Wim Peters says an inadequate diet is the basic cause. (through illness Peckedhen !!    )

 

Er, something else old Wimsy says:  (tin helmets on everyone !!!!     ;D  )

 

p208. Recently we have seen pipey feathering of the (neck) plumage as a result of excessive concentration of sodium hypochlorate (Milton) in the drinking water which caused a retarded moult.

 

 

 

[Joe90]

I am sorry i can not help u on this one

never had a bird with this

 

al i can say is try not to mess with your birds to much and try not to worry and let them get on with things them self

 

the more you mess the more you will stress the birds

 

remember birds dont like us that much only when we feed them  ;D

[martinalison]

As breeder of Exhibition fantails, I can assure you that the bird is not suffering from any health problems. The answer is as simple as Bruno describes it. If you just break away a small amount of the sheath at a time, you can feel the piping drying up. The feather will eventually look normal. Pigeons normally moult 2 tail feathers at a time but because fantails have a lot more tail feathers, they tend to moult them in batch of about 6.Just rub the quill with your finger and thumb once a day, but only about ½ inch each time, allow them to have plenty of baths and they will moult out perfect.

[Guest Doostalker]

Pecked Hen, agree with the solution given by Bruno and martinalison for repairing the problem. Just a wee note to add though, Dr Colin Walker also attributes feather sheathing to stress during the moult. Stress can be caused by many things as we all know, including illness.

[Peckedhen]

Just rub the quill with your finger and thumb once a day, but only about ½ inch each time, allow them to have plenty of baths and they will moult out perfect.

 

Ok, that's where I went wrong. I scratched, obviously not gently enough, all the way to the base trying to make the feather open. Bruno, you were never in the stew - you had said to do it gently!  

 

I shall leave well alone for a few days now - give the bird and me time to get over the shock!! :

[Blue Chequer]

Hi,  An old remedy for birds with pipey feathers was to powder with "Flowers of Sulphur".  I think you will find this bird will always moult like this and may well breed pigeons that do likewise.   "Blue Chequer".

[Guest]

Thanks for letting me 'off le hook' so lightly peckedhen.  

 

Just for my own information.   ??)

 

I had overlooked that fantails have much longer tail feathers than homing pigeons.  

 

Can anyone confirm if 'the living, still growing bit' at the bottom of the new feather is a lot longer in the fantail than the homing pigeon?

 

 

[Joe90]

Well done for getting a picture for people to see, it helps people to see you problem

nice one

[wynmore]

http://www.msn.americangreetings.com/view.pd?i=382219626&m=1652&rr=y&so

 

 

 

Click on the above for a laugh

[Peckedhen]

Good one Wynmore, makes me laugh every time! ;D ;D ;D ;D

[Guest speckled]

;D  ;D  ;D   good site.Still laughting, ;D  ;D  speckeld.lol.