Canary with an ingrown Feather

[ranchnanny]

The Gloster I picked up has an ingrown feather on her back. I believe that is why the breeder never allowed her to breed. Does anyone know anything about INGROWN FEATHERS???? Is there any danger in breeding her?

[L in Ontario]

No idea from this corner of the world and I've never seen one either. Any chance you can get and post a pic?

[CandoAviary]

Very common in Glousters, Norwich and staffords. They are called feather cyst and could be due to diet ineffcient in Vitamin A, iodine, etc.
Buy usually a genetic fault.. These birds are bred for soft dense feathers and many time the feather shaft can not penetrate the skin. So ingrown feathers... yet worse than ingrown hair because a feather is contained in a hard keratin material.
Daily baths help sometimes because the canaries will groom themselves better. Any bird that is prone to these feather cyst should not ne used for breed stock, especially with another with the same problem. The chicks will inherit the faults and possibly be even be worse. Many times when you get one cleared up another one appears.
This is sometimes what happens when Man creates inperfect breeds... much like a german shepherd is now prone to hip dsplasia unless properly bred.. or the bulldog that can only successfully birth pups via a caserean operation because the heads of the pups are too large to pass the birth canal.
Lots of info if you google about feather cysts
Here is one link to get you started
http://www.avianweb.com/feathercysts.html