Trials of parronthood

My mid-morning coffee was just interrupted by an unexpected parakeet-related problem. I went to offer Chestina and Lola a bath, and saw that Chestina’s tail was matted with blood. She shook it, obviously in some discomfort. This isn’t an uncommon situation in birds. Growing feathers have a hollow shaft which carries blood through them. If the shaft cracks, bleeding results. The recommended procedure is to pluck the broken feather from the bird.