I have a silver spangled hamburg bantam that my daughter is going to show at fair again this year. He placed well even though his sickle feathers had fallen out. The roosters sickle feathers seem to get damaged and or fall out right before fair every year. Someone told me to pluck out the sickle feathers in the spring to ensure that he has them in by fair in the summer. Just wondering, do I pull them out or is there something that has to be done to cut off the blood supply first??
I would only pluck the feathers if they were so ratty and damaged they looked unapealing. The reason it falls out is because of a molt (it happens to me at county fair all the time most of my birds are out of condition when I need them to get blues so I can take them to state fair)