Info from the bird channel site:
Pin Feathers
After the feather is lost, the body grows a new one, just as in the case of hair. However, growing a feather is a more complicated process because it requires active, growing cells up into the emerging feather. There is a circulating blood vessel bringing nutrients up into the developing shaft of the feather. The feather tissue is very delicate at this time, so the feather is encased in a protective, cylindrical sheath that is made up of keratin (which also is in fingernails). This makes the feather appear like a pin. This pin feather can come in several tones, including one that is dark at the base, which indicates the presence of the blood supply. Therefore it is referred to as a “blood feather.”
Eventually, the blood supply starts to decrease and absorb when the tissue has fully developed. While it is doing so, the protective sheath starts to peel off in tiny pieces during the preening process. Some people think these tiny pieces look like dandruff. During this time a bird might appear to be more itchy than normal. The feather is curled up inside the sheath and unfurls as it comes off, leaving a fully functioning feather once it is all cleaned off by the bird’s preening with its beak.
The bird can reach these pin feathers with its beak to preen feathers from the “shoulders” down but typically requires other birds in its flock to clean the feathers on its head and the upper part of the back of its neck. A person can fill this role by using his or her fingertip to gently pinch and roll the white part of the sheath that is at the tip of the feather. Otherwise, the remnant of the growing feather remains until the sheath eventually falls off. Nutritional deficiencies sometimes affect how easy or difficult sheaths are removed from the pin feathers, so if you don’t know if what you’re feeling is normal, contact your veterinarian.
The new feather, still with the blood supply although protected with the sheath, is still vulnerable to injury. The sheath might be weakened due to underlying health issues, such as infectious disease or nutritional deficiencies. Enough trauma can also cause the sheath to split or break, which causes bleeding, especially on a large feather, such as those found on the wings and tails. Historically, the standard therapy was to pull a broken blood feather no matter what. Doing so, however, increases the chance of injury to the follicle that produces the feather. Recently, more veterinarians recommend not pulling these blood feathers out unless the hemorrhage is likely to affect the bird’s health. (If you are unsure as to whether a blood feather should be removed, ask your avian veterinarian.)
Original link: http://www.birdchannel.com/bird-diet-and-health/bird-grooming/feather-health.aspx
The area around the head is a pretty hard place to preen, especially if he's your only bird.
Pin Feathers
After the feather is lost, the body grows a new one, just as in the case of hair. However, growing a feather is a more complicated process because it requires active, growing cells up into the emerging feather. There is a circulating blood vessel bringing nutrients up into the developing shaft of the feather. The feather tissue is very delicate at this time, so the feather is encased in a protective, cylindrical sheath that is made up of keratin (which also is in fingernails). This makes the feather appear like a pin. This pin feather can come in several tones, including one that is dark at the base, which indicates the presence of the blood supply. Therefore it is referred to as a “blood feather.”
Eventually, the blood supply starts to decrease and absorb when the tissue has fully developed. While it is doing so, the protective sheath starts to peel off in tiny pieces during the preening process. Some people think these tiny pieces look like dandruff. During this time a bird might appear to be more itchy than normal. The feather is curled up inside the sheath and unfurls as it comes off, leaving a fully functioning feather once it is all cleaned off by the bird’s preening with its beak.
The bird can reach these pin feathers with its beak to preen feathers from the “shoulders” down but typically requires other birds in its flock to clean the feathers on its head and the upper part of the back of its neck. A person can fill this role by using his or her fingertip to gently pinch and roll the white part of the sheath that is at the tip of the feather. Otherwise, the remnant of the growing feather remains until the sheath eventually falls off. Nutritional deficiencies sometimes affect how easy or difficult sheaths are removed from the pin feathers, so if you don’t know if what you’re feeling is normal, contact your veterinarian.
The new feather, still with the blood supply although protected with the sheath, is still vulnerable to injury. The sheath might be weakened due to underlying health issues, such as infectious disease or nutritional deficiencies. Enough trauma can also cause the sheath to split or break, which causes bleeding, especially on a large feather, such as those found on the wings and tails. Historically, the standard therapy was to pull a broken blood feather no matter what. Doing so, however, increases the chance of injury to the follicle that produces the feather. Recently, more veterinarians recommend not pulling these blood feathers out unless the hemorrhage is likely to affect the bird’s health. (If you are unsure as to whether a blood feather should be removed, ask your avian veterinarian.)
Original link: http://www.birdchannel.com/bird-diet-and-health/bird-grooming/feather-health.aspx
The area around the head is a pretty hard place to preen, especially if he's your only bird.
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