Baby stars tail feathers

[trljr14]

My stars hatched on 11/28.The one baby cant seem to fly more then a few feet.His tail feathers are a v shape,about three quarters of a inch apart.Im wondering if they are broken,any input appreciated thanks tom.

[L in Ontario]

Hmmm never seen that before. If they are broken, they'll be fine when he moults out. He's a cute one!

[cindy]

Does the base of the feather(s) for the tail start as one follical with multiple feathers coming from it? If so it may be Polyfollicles.

If this is the growth of multiple feather shafts from one follicle. It may cause no problems or may can be associated with chronic inflamation in feathers and skin. It is usually seen in the tail or on the back of the neck. It is thought the cause of polyfollicles is due to a virus.

[akidsgal]

I also wonder on the size of the nest and how many babies were in there. Could s/he have lost a few because of crowding? If that is the case they will come back within a few weeks.

[trljr14]

No,its not polyfollicles,i checked also there were only three chicks in nest,so it wasnt crowded,tom.

[Sally]

I have had more than a few adult birds with out-of-shape tails or even totally lost tails, and none of them had any problem flying. I've had a few birds that when I caught them up, their complete tails came out in my hand, and they grew back very quickly. I've not had this happen with a juvie like this, though. He should be OK once he molts into his adult colors.

[Leda]

Hummmmm, could be because he is young and it will propably fill in after he moults.

[L in Ontario]

I deleted this same thread from the "Health" forum and merged all replies into this thread.