I Accidentally Pulled Out a Tail Feather! Bloody!

[bionic_chicken]

My girl was running under the couch. In retrospect, this will be obvious to all of you, and to me. I held her by the tail to keep her stationary while I reached under the couch to retrieve her. (After all, it was hard-boiled egg time, and she was missing out!) Anyway, she yanked forward and I felt a *bink* and knew immediately that a feather had popped out. I freaked out because I read a post about "blood feathers". Sure enough, there was blood in the feather! I think I've found the little area on her butt where it came out, but it doesn't look bloody. Is there anything I need to do? Anything I need to watch for? Yes, I've learned my lesson. No holding onto tails!

to me!

 

[conny63malies]

I wouldnt be too worried. It happens, even in nature. You could put a bit of first aid ointment without painreliever on it. Cant hurt.

 

[seminolewind]

In an emergency, I have used flour to stop bleeding, and it worked great. I just didn't have anything else, and I was in a panic. Ointment would be good it its not bleeding anymore

 

[backintime]

Bionic, I'm new here but have spent MONTHS reading all these posts . . . I think the real danger in a blood feather is that if it's broken along the shaft of the feather, the blood will continue to flow OUT of the broken shaft. The remedy for this is to pull the WHOLE feather out, so the skin closes up and it will stop bleeding. So I think that it was better for the feather to pull out than to break off.