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Health, Holistic & Nutrition Discuss issues relating to illness, disease, injuries, preventative care and nutrition of your bird.

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Old 06-20-2008, 01:26 AM   #1
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Default Moulting questions???

I see many threads on many forums about birds moulting.
Owners are worried if it is normal.

Please let me assure all owners, moulting is a natual process of birds. It is when they moult and their feather sheaths don't grow in that you have problems.

You will notice them peeking through their skin, but a couple of days later, that little sprout is gone. It has disintegrated. You may not notice it to begin with if you are not used to it.
So many feathers begin to sprout, but it is not until these feathers don't grow that you start to wonder.

As long as the feathers sprout through, you have no problems, well at least not a problem that you need to really worry about.

I have watched my birds' feathers sprout, then disintegrate, grow with sheaths so encircled around the feather, to try and remove it and let the feather unfurl, only to find that the feather couldn't handle it and break off. Curse myself for touching. When you have a bird truly featherless, then you will see, your bird is completely normal.

Here are a couple of pictures, first one, looking at downy feather growth, looking for the spines of feathers emerging. The second picture, under her wing, is it a primary feather emerging. Yup, well it did emerge, but unfortunately this feather was lost shortly after it fully emerged.

When you are looking at feathers like this, then you truly have a problem. If your bird has spines all over it, just wait, see what happens. Nothing is more normal than looking at the abnormal.

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Last edited by Koky; 06-20-2008 at 01:35 AM.
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Old 06-20-2008, 03:04 AM   #2
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Default Re: Moulting questions???

Very good info. for those who do not know.
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Old 06-20-2008, 05:50 AM   #3
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Default Re: Moulting questions???

Those little feather tufts! A feather is an amazing thing! Thanks Koky! (Kiss Peggy!)
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Old 06-23-2008, 07:04 AM   #4
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Default Re: Moulting questions???

Koky is correct that molting is normal but it should happen only once or, tops, twice a year with one of them been a partial (usually right after winter solstice). More than that is not good for long term health or even normal. It is also not normal to have a bird looking like a porcupine with pins all over, with 'holes' in his plumage or for the molt to be asymmetrical or patchy. Molting is an uncomfortable time for them but it should never be such a hardship that the bird goes off its feed or is extremely cranky.

Certain species of tropical birds do molt all year round in the wild but it's a very soft, very slow, very gradual molt where they lose a feather here and a feather there. In captivity, it's best to keep them to a strict natural daylight schedule so their breeding hormones are not flowing all year round (it prevents chronic egg laying. behavioral problems, etc and it's conducive to a healthier endocrine system and a calmer bird) and, when you do, their molting will also adjust to a temperate climate schedule with molting after breeding season.
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