Cutting feathers - how much is too much??

Previously Posted in the Breed section as: Polish Poof - cutting pin feathers - OUCH???


I know it may be a dumb question...

This is the second time I've cut the poof on my two Polish gals so they could see better. The first time, I trimmed and had to paint their heads with blue food coloring to cover their pink scalps from peeking through the sparse white feathers so they would be left alone. This was very successful. Their scarce poofs have turned into HUGE, PUFFY, cotton-ball like hats - just shy of the size of a baseball. When trimming today, I hit a few feathers that bled. OW! I'm concerned.


1. Is there any feeling in feathers?


2. Do I need to worry about them losing blood? Could it start again? I was able to stop the bleeding (a few little drops) with pressure and fresh water.


Also - I don't know if they were pin feathers. They had feathers at the ends of them. The were just above the nose by 1/4 of an inch and above the eye by the same distance. Most of what I cut were the fluffy feathers and the dry, hollow shaft tips.


PLEASE ADVISE. I'M SO WORRIED I'VE HURT THEM.


I've washed their heads so there is no red, dried them, painted them blue again and they seems very happy.

 

Well, they have so many feathers that are really low on their nose, near the beak. Then some fall over their eyes from above the eye area. Some seem to go low on the head behind their eyes as well. I've never seen anything like it. I cut those areas so they can see in front, on the sides, and hopefully have some peripheral view of the rear area. This leaves the top stuff that then hangs over these areas. So, I trim some of them too.

They really look like they are running around with baseballs on their heads. It's cute, but NOT practical. We don't show them. They're our pets.





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If it helps - the couple that bled were black feathers near the eyes and I couldn't tell if the shafts were dark because of natural pigmentation or because they were new ones w/blood in them. There were only a few drops of blood and it stopped almost immediately after I held them firmly with a washcloth.

Best wishes!!!


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