Question about molting

[amsirmans]

My IRN is 4 months old. At what age do IRNs go through their first molt, and how often do they molt thereafter? If Sky is a boy, will I see any hint of a ring or anything after the first molt?

Thanks,
Angela

[chiefmissile]

Hi,

My IRN has been pretty scrawny since we got him at 2 months, archie is now 5 months and is still very bald under his wings, pats of his breast, legs etc. I am not too woried because he is very lively and eating and playing well, ive put it down to loosing his baby feathers and gaining his adult ones? There are lots of little feather buds stating to appear, so fingers crossed. He does not look very hansome at the moment.

[pinkdevil]

My young birds seem to go through what I call a "mini moult" where they loose a few feathers and replace them, (mine went through that not that long ago).
Birds usually moult once a year after breeding season and look very uncomfortable and scruffy. You wont see a ring if male, till around the second or third moult.

Here is a pic of what my poor boy looked like during his moult into his first show of a ring. He was around 2.5 yrs old during his moult, (last Dec 2008).


You can see his ring starting to come through.

[SarahandEco]

My Eco is going through a molt now that started like a month ago. We were told he was 12 months in late April, which would make him about 15 months now and we are starting to see his ring.