G.W. Macaw Molt (?) Question

Question
We brought home our g.w. macaw a few weeks ago and she seemed very happy and was friendly and took to me right away. For the past few days, though, she's seemed angry and aggressive and this coincided exactly with our finding feathers (a few per day) loose in the cage. Is this the right time for a molt and, if so, might this irritate the bird and affect her behavior?

Answer
Excellent association! A molt can lead to cranky birds, especially when it comes to being touched. The little straws of unfurled feathers poking through are very sensitive. This is why the bird itself won't break them open until they've grown out a bit and even then, some birds are more sensitive than others.
 We have a Severe/Chestnut Fronted Macaw who loves for us to help break them open for her (if you ever have that opportunity it's just a matter of gently pinching the 'straw' between your fingers until it crumbles, but be careful not to pull or tug and be prepared to get a warning 'nip' if it's too sensitive).
 We have a B&G macaw who not only hates it when we do that, but she hates it when SHE does it! So she tries not to do it - it's amazing she's as stunning as she is because she's quite lax in this feather grooming.

It's important to not stop handling your new addition - just try to avoid the feathers coming in and always remember to stroke in the direction the feathers are growing, gently.  
 Daily 'out of cage' time is still necessary in order to keep her acclimated to interaction, just limit it lots of games and perching on arm time until the molt is mostly over in the next few weeks.

 Take a look at ours  www.4AnimalCare.org (click on 'birds')