How to Treat a Wound on a Bird's Wing

A wound in a bird's wing can be due to a broken blood feather or an injury. A blood feather is like a vein and when broken can cause the bird to bleed to death if the bleeding is not stopped. An injury is caused by an accident or an animal's teeth or claws. Both require immediate attention.

Things You'll Need

• Cardboard box
• Heating pad
• Hydrogen peroxide
• Q-tips
• Styptic powder
• Gauze
• Sock
• Towel
• Pliers

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Instructions

• 1

  Call a veterinarian or a local wildlife rehabilitator. You probably are not qualified to treat a bird and, in some states, it is even illegal. Treat the bird only if you have no choice and it is the last recourse.

• 2

  Reduce the bird's trauma. A wounded bird that falls in human hands goes through a lot of stress. Place the bird in a place where it will feel warm and cozy. A heated pad on the side of a cage or a nearby heat lamp can help keep the bird comfortable. Pick up the bird with extreme caution. Place it in a calm environment with low light. The best choice is a cardboard box in which you have cut holes and lined with a soft material. Keep children and domestic animals far away from it.

• 3

  Find the wound and where the blood comes from. Clean the injury with hydrogen peroxide and Q-tips or cotton balls. If the wound is superficial, just spray the wound with the disinfectant. Do not try to clean the wound thoroughly as birds are very delicate creatures and you do not want to injure it further.

• 4

  Use styptic powder on the wound to stop the bleeding. This powder can be found in pets stores; it disinfects and contains an anesthetic that stops pain. If this is not available, use baking soda or corn flour. Press a gauze pad firmly on the wound to stop the bleeding if nothing else is available. Cut the toe off a clean sock and place the bird gently inside. This way, the bird will not flap its wings and injure itself further. Make sure the sock is not too tight so that it will not obstruct the bird's breathing.

• 5

  Wrap the bird with a towel if you need to extract a blood feather. Extend its wing carefully. Use needlenose pliers or a hemostat to grab the stem of the feather firmly. Now pull hard and fast. Put styptic powder or corn starch on it to stop the bleeding.