Tail feathers

Question
Hello:

Had quite an experience last night. Unfortunately my jenday conure flew from my shoulder and I lost him for awhile in the dark. Luckily I found him in the neighbor's yard. Because it was dark and while shining the flashlight on him, I tried to pick him up. With all the struggle, I had to grab the bird by the tail feathers and all the feathers were pulled out. MY QUESTION is will the tail feathers eventually grow back, and if so, how long will it take to regrow to its full 6"+ length?

Thanks,
Alan

Answer
Hi Alan,

The tail feathers will grow back. However, the time it will take will depend on your bird. You can probably figure a couple of months before all the tail feathers come back in.

Also, Here is a link to a terrific flyer all about taking birds outside (the risks, how to do it safely, the benefits, etc...). I hope this link will work:

http://f1.grp.yahoofs.com/v1/4EM_QgZE-BMoyF69ANZRDqhj-noUrIE1jKST1eMWOT_6XWKcK7Z...

If this link doesn't work, I'm sorry. :(

In short, this flyer talks about the dangers of taking your bird outside. As you saw with your Jenday conure... even with clipped wings... birds can fly away with the right amount of wind or lift. There are also hawks, cats, etc...

To take your bird safely outside (so that s/he can still get the benefits of fresh air and natural sunligh), train your bird to wear a harness or avian flight suit (http://www.birddiaper.com/). Or take your bird outside in a carrier or small travel cage... or a pet pocket carrier. You can see a picture of the bird pet pocket carrier here: http://www.naturechest.com/petpobica.html

I hope this helps.

-Maggie