# Poor feather quality due to no preening



## pidge-girl (Jun 10, 2009)

Taylor is my 4 month old pigeon I rescued, when she was two weeks old she had a severe case of pox that left her beak deformed.. She is unable to preen correctly because of it, although she tries. 
Also she is unable to press the oil from her preen gland, so I do it for her. 
If anyone has ideas please let me know. She lives indoors with me but I take her out everyday so she can get sunlight. 
She is VERY tame so she lets me preen her face, (she thinks I'm her mate) but her wings are what I'm worried about. She can still fly fine now though. 
No feathers grow under her beak or on one part of her upper legs, hopefully you can tell in the pictures.
Thank you!


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## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

ahhhh, mother nature can be so cruel sometimes...but she seems to be living a nice life with you! what do you need ideas about? sounds like your doing a good job...you can bath her or let her bath, use some chop sticks and preen her wings for her to lay them in line..... never had a deformed beak pigeon, perhaps someone who does can help you out with some ideas...keep checking back!


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## pidge-girl (Jun 10, 2009)

Thank you! I'm just worried since she bathes but then can not get oil from her preen gland that her feathers need, that they won't be as heathy. but she is a spoiled little pigeon and I press the oils out and put them on her feathers.
I was just hoping that there was something, maybe safflower oil or flax that I could add to her diet that is good for feathers. I tube her Kaytee Exact so I'm not sure if it would be ok to mix anything with it. 
I will try to preen her wing/flight feathers, but then it makes her want to try too and she tries her hardest but she actually messes them up worse  
I was also wondering if it could cause long term damage to her skin or feathers later on if she isn't able to preen well. 
Thanks again


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## Reti (Jul 20, 2003)

My one dove with the scissored beak wasn't able to preen either and her feathers were a mess. When she took a bath she was always soaked.
My pigeon with no lower beak on the other hand has beautiful feathers, maybe because her mate preens her.
The beak condition can be treated, I am not sure how, but my vet told me when he saw my dove that it can done.

Reti


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## PigeonQueen (Aug 13, 2006)

Hello this is a very interesting thread though I have to ask the following questions. Please forgive my ignorance. This is something that I have never heard or read about .

I have a pigeon at the moment with PMV (living indoors) that has difficulty preening and the feathers are in very poor condition. Is it okay for the pigeon to have an indoor bath in warm water? Also I would like to know more how to help the pigeon improve the condition of the feathers.

1 Where exactly is the preen gland and how do you press the oil from it? Does this need to be done everyday? Does a healthy pigeon do this everyday?

How do you put the oil on the birds feathers? Do you put it also on the body feathers or just the flight feathers? And what with?

How often would you have to do this.

Spirit Wings: What do you mean "use some chop sticks and preen her wings for her to lay them in line? I cant visualise how this would be done. So do the feathers go out of line?

Jayne


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## Feefo (Feb 8, 2002)

> Is it okay for the pigeon to have an indoor bath in warm water?


Yes, as long as it is not liable to have fits (in which case it could drown). The alternative is to spray it with warm water or to hold its head while it bathes.

This is a subject that also interests me, so I am grateful for the questions. 

Our Dave Dee has no lower beak so he can't preen. He has a mate/friend (most probably same sex) who is a PMV survivor and who preens his neck, but when I hold Dave Dee his feathers feel wrong. I want to help him be comfortable, so am watching this thread for any advice!


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## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

PigeonQueen said:


> Hello this is a very interesting thread though I have to ask the following questions. Please forgive my ignorance. This is something that I have never heard or read about .
> 
> I have a pigeon at the moment with PMV (living indoors) that has difficulty preening and the feathers are in very poor condition. Is it okay for the pigeon to have an indoor bath in warm water? Also I would like to know more how to help the pigeon improve the condition of the feathers.
> 
> ...


when you see a pigeon preen, they use the beak to lay the feathers in place, like combing hair, sort of...so using the chop sticks as a sort of a comb you can place them in order along the wing, or you can use your thumb and fore finger if you have longer finger nails, sliding from the body out, skewers may work too. but if the pigeon tries to preen herself she may just mess up your handy work....


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## doveone52 (Aug 3, 2009)

Oh, poor baby! Such a pretty bird. I used a soft childrens tooth brush but I like the chopsticks idea.


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## PigeonQueen (Aug 13, 2006)

Hello Cynthia, I think I'll try spraying with warm water first and see how the piggie reacts then try a bath later. I will make sure not to leave the piggie unattended because of the neck and head twisting. Ill probably have to hold the head in place.

Hello Spirit Wings. Ill give it a go and see what piggie thinks of my feather dressing!!


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## pidge-girl (Jun 10, 2009)

PigeonQueen said:


> 1 Where exactly is the preen gland and how do you press the oil from it? Does this need to be done everyday? Does a healthy pigeon do this everyday?
> 
> How do you put the oil on the birds feathers? Do you put it also on the body feathers or just the flight feathers? And what with?
> 
> ...


The preen gland is on their back near the base of their tail. it looks like a bump of skin kinda. oil secretes out of it which they use to water proof their feathers and keep them healthy. but because Taylors beak is so messed up she's un-able to do it herself, so i squeeze the sides of the gland with my fingers (every day or other day) and then put it on her feathers for her, a different spot of feathers each time, but mainly on her wings. 

Pigeons will get oil out each time they preen.
She's the only one so far I've needed to help with this so I'm still learning myself on the best way to do it. luckily she's so tame she just stands there and coos and preens my hand as I do it for her


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## pidge-girl (Jun 10, 2009)

Oh and thank you all for the ideas  I'm not too good with chopsticks although it is a great idea! I'm gonna try the misting with warm water and toothbrush ideas.
thanks again from me and Taylor!


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## starlinglover95 (May 6, 2009)

awww poor baby. her beak looks like it hurts alot but you are making her life better by keeping her. in the wild she would never survive - you are giving her a chance at a "normal" (whatever that means) life. best of luck with her.


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## starlinglover95 (May 6, 2009)

PigeonQueen said:


> Hello this is a very interesting thread though I have to ask the following questions. *Please forgive my ignorance*. This is something that I have never heard or read about .
> Jayne


Jayne,
its not ignorance when you ask someone what something is or means. whats ignorance is when you act like you know everything about a subject when in truth there are people who know alot more than you and you don't bother to ask for help. ..... you are not ignorant!


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

Ignorance means -- not knowing. So we are all guilty of that. None of us know everything. That's why we learn from each other. Not asking doesn't do any good. Asking is what helps you to learn. We all have questions, and thank goodness, somebody usually has the answer.


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## PigeonQueen (Aug 13, 2006)

Hi everyone, thanks for your replies. It is always good to learn something new. Hopefully in the future I can share this knowledge with others.
This is why this site is so valuable especially for those of us who are isolated and want to help our feathered friends.


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## starlinglover95 (May 6, 2009)

Jay3 said:


> Ignorance means -- not knowing. So we are all guilty of that. None of us know everything. That's why we learn from each other. Not asking doesn't do any good. Asking is what helps you to learn. We all have questions, and thank goodness, somebody usually has the answer.


Very true.


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## honeyPepper (Jul 19, 2017)

*Pigeons don't have preen glands*

I know this thread is very old, but I was just doing some searching and saw it. Anyway, this from another site https://www.thespruce.com/why-birds-preen-386448: 
"Some types of birds, including owls, pigeons, parrots and hawks, lack a uropygial gland. Instead, these birds have specialized feathers that disintegrate into powder down, which serves the same purpose as preen oil. Birds that produce powder down are less likely to bathe or immerse themselves in water and do not require the stronger waterproofing that preen oil provides.":rolleyes


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