Plucked feathers

[Juicergene]

What are the chances plucked feathers will grow back again. I have a B&GMacaw. Two years ago the vet diagnosed him with a bad habit, like biting your fingernails. Maybe a disease would have been easier to deal with. Any help would be appreciated.

[GreenWing]

Sorry to hear of your poor bird's plucking troubles. When you visited the vet, did they rule out possible medical reasons, such as poor nutrition or disease? From a behavioral standpoint, self-plucking can also be an indicator that a parrot is under stress of some sort or that your parrot is bored. Does your bird get sufficient attention and has enough toys to play with?

Regarding your question, re: will the feathers grow back, you may find this article helpful in the meanwhile.

[Pajarita]

It depends on the way they were plucked, how often and for how long because although feathers will grow back (just like hair that is pulled out), if the bird does it for a long time or bites the flesh where the feather grows from, the follicles get damaged and the feathers never grow back. Chronic pluckers eventually end up naked because of this.