My cockatiel's broken blood feather is bleeding. Will he be okay?

Question

I have a cockatiel and one of his wing/blood feathers broke and he's started bleeding a little bit, we applied flour to try and stop the bleeding and it's seemed to work for now. Do you think he'll be okay? Pet's info: Bird | Cockatiel | Male

Miranda Sadar, DVM, DACZM · Accepted Answer

I am sorry that this happened to Chipper, and to you - broken blood feathers can be quite scary. Most of the time, once the bleeding has stopped, the danger has passed. I didn't see you mention where along the shaft of the feather the break occurred. The reason I bring it up is that if the feather was broken very close to the skin, the flour may irritate the feather follicle (this is the area where the feather grows from within the skin) and could damage it. If it has broken at this area, I would recommend taking Chipper to a veterinarian as they will be able to clean the area to decrease the chance for inflammation and irritation at the site. This can be done tomorrow, as I don't want Chipper's blood pressure to raise while he is clotting the blood at the broken feather site tonight. The increase in blood pressure from handling and traveling could make him bleed again, but by the morning the clot should be formed and stable. With regards to Chipper being okay - thankfully birds can lose a great deal of blood and still be okay. They regenerate their blood cells at a much faster rate than mammals do (like us!) and Chipper will start replenishing his blood supply as quickly as tomorrow! I hope that helps to answer your question, and I wish you and Chipper the best of luck!

My cockatiel's broken blood feather is bleeding. Will he be okay?

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