Maybe the answer its so simple its right infront of me. Does a new one grow in its place? If so, where does the new one come from? Like, is it grown in the body? I feel like the answer is right infront of me...
2007-01-30 11:40:35 · 7 answers · asked by Anonymous in Pets ➔ Birds
You'll see the new one push through in the form of a pin feather. It looks like a little blue spike. As it's growing and getting ready to emerge, the keratin shell on it will turn a waxy like whiteish color and then he'll preen that off himself, pulling the wax away.
The blueish tint at first is blood. If he should break that, then he will bleed and it will have to be pulled out (so don't mess with it until it turns pretty much all white).
You'll see. It takes a little time, and it is most obvious during molts, which for most birds happen a good couple times per year which mostly happen during major weather changes, like seasonal changes.
2007-01-30 11:47:47 · answer #1 · answered by sdkramer76 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Feathers grow from feather follicles just as hair grows from hair follicles. There is a "root" under the skin that replaces the feather. If this root gets damaged because of excessive feather plucking the feather may grow back damaged or may not grow back at all.
You will see the "pin feather" growing from exactly the smae place where the previous one was lost. It looks like a little pin pushing through the skin, and the waxy coating will fray off as the pin gets longer. As the feather gets closer to maturity you can help you bird break off the coating, which seems to be itchy. Just be careful of disturbing the pin feather too close to the skin, since breaking the pin can cause lots of bleeding.
2007-01-30 11:52:22 · answer #2 · answered by Robin D 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
A feather grows from a follicle just like your hair does.
Feathers are made of a tough and flexible material called "keratin". Feathers look solid, but they are not. The spine down the middle, called the shaft, is hollow. The vanes are on the two halves of the feather. They are made of thousands of branches called barbs. Because there are many spaces between these barbs, a feather has as much air as matter.
How does a feather grow? It grows from a bump in the skin. Growth begins with the tip of the feather. When a bird hatches, the tip separates and looks like fuzz on the baby bird. This is soft down. This is not a feather but a covering.
The tip forms a tough, protective sheath. As the tip continues to grow, the downy fuzz is pushed ahead of it. Each feather is rolled inside the sheath. It is called a pin feather at this stage. A bird's survival depends upon the condition of its feathers. Birds take a lot of time caring for their feathers. This is called preening. They use their feet and beaks to arrange their feathers. They nibble each feather from the base of the tip. Birds also bathe alot.
Birds have between 1,000 and 25,000 feathers. Feathers can be divided into 6 categories:
Contour feathers
Semiplume feathers
Down feathers
Filoplume feathers
Bristle feathers
Powder-down feathers
2007-01-30 11:48:52 · answer #3 · answered by Christie D 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋
The new feather grows in in the same location, much like human hair does. It is formed bit by bit at the "root" and as it develops it is encased in a protective coating that crumbles off as the feather finishes its growing. This is one of the reasons why birds preen themselves and each other - to get rid of that casing on the pinfeathers.
2007-01-30 14:16:04 · answer #4 · answered by zandyandi 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Same place your own hair comes from. Where ever that may be LOL!
2007-01-30 12:39:42 · answer #5 · answered by reasonable-sale-lots 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋
If you pull out your hair where does the new hair come from?
2007-01-30 11:44:19 · answer #6 · answered by kit t 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
This is coffee. Caution: hot
2007-01-30 19:20:51 · answer #7 · answered by Heather 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋