Does a Broken Feather Grow Back on a Bird?

Birds sometimes break feathers, such as when they run into objects when flying or get scared at night and begin to thrash about. A broken feather that is mature is no health risk to the bird; it will eventually replace itself on its own. Immature feathers, often called blood feathers, need immediate attention from you and your vet.

  1. Blood Feathers

    • When new feathers are growing in, they typically start as pin feathers. These are spiky and covered with keratin, and they need a blood source to provide nutrients to help the feathers grow to full size. The blood travels up the center of the feather, often making the spikes look darker than the spines of surrounding mature feathers. These blood feathers can bleed profusely when broken, so you must act quickly to stop the bleeding using a blood-stopping powder, cornstarch or baking soda, or you can use a gauze pad to apply pressure to the broken end to stem the bleeding.

    Pulling Blood Feathers

    • Feathers don't typically grow back until the old ones fall out, so the broken blood feather must be removed to encourage new growth. Get your vet's help with this; you don't want to cause your bird extra pain by inexpertly pulling his feather. The vet can quickly pull a broken feather without breaking any of the bird's delicate bones and will make sure the subsequent skin bleeding stops before sending your bird home with you.

    Mature Feathers

    • Fully grown feathers aren't a health hazard when they break, as long as only one or a few feathers break. If many are broken, your bird might not be able to fly or retain body heat; a vet visit is in order. For one or a few broken feathers, you have two options: Wait for a normal molting cycle or have the vet pull the broken feathers. After the broken feather falls out or is pulled, a new one will begin to grow.

    Molting

    • When you see feathers falling out of your bird, it doesn't mean they are broken. Most birds go through regular molting cycles when old feathers fall out and new ones grow in. With many birds, this typically happens in stages; not all the feathers fall out at once, allowing the bird to retain flying ability and stay warm. Some birds, however, drop so many feathers at the same time that they temporarily lose their flying capability. Unless you see bald spots on your bird during molting, there's no reason to see your vet.