Spread out the wing to check the primary feathers for blood feathers. In a lighter colored feather, the shaft will look red. In a darker feather it will look dark blue. This means this is a new and growing feather and the blood vessel is still intact. If you cut this feather, the bird will eventually bleed to death. Simply cut around the feather, or if you do accidently cut it, pull it out cleanly at the base. Applying something to stop the bleeding may only prove temporary if they blow the clot out at a later point. If you pull it out at the base, it will heal cleanly.

The notch in the wing shows you where the primary feathers are divided from the secondary behind them.

Start cutting from the notch at an angle to the tip of the covert feather at the other end. The covert featheres are a row feathers near the base of the primary feathers. You can see them if you look near the vet's fingers holding the wings.

The final result. Clip both wings so your bird can still maintain balance when jumping from roosts and ensure a smooth landing. The birds can still fly some, and I have found they can still hop onto roosts 4 feet high. They will need to be reclipped after a molt when new flight feathers grow in.

Moonlight Mile Herb Farm Copyright © 2010 Susan Burek