bloody wing

Question
I have a parakeet, around a year old. At one point I trimmed her wing a little to short, but it seemed fine for a long time. I took her out and her wing started to bleed. her feathers look red like there filled with blood. what is the best thing i should do? I am really worried.

Answer
Jodie,

All feathers are filled with blood when they first sprout out of the body.  You'll notice that they are hard on the outside; the hardness is a keratin sheathing, which is just a fancy name for a hard protein like what is in your nails.  Anyway, if the feather has been damaged, it will bleed, and may need to be pulled straight out.  Since it is on a wing, that can be very difficult, so keep an eye on it.  Another possibility is that your bird may not be getting enough protein in her diet, so you need to make sure you feed seed that has a good protein content like millet, and if you feed pellets, that is great, too!

Thanks for writing,

Cindy