Why isn't my birdie moulting? ...and other questions

[superfrank]

I adopted my 2 year old IRN from a family who did a shoddy and aggressive wing trim. All of her flight feathers were hacked off about eight months ago. I've been waiting for them to fall out and grow back but they won't! Two of her tail feathers have fallen out, but that's all. Is there anything I should do to encourage moulting? How often do IRNs molt? Should I be worried? Thanks.
--Frankie

[MissK]

I think the two best things you can do for molting are provide a healthy environment with an early summertime day length and comfortable humidity, and feed a top notch diet. I have read that a bird in a particularly unhealthy environment (possibly including bad diet) may not molt at all, but I'm more willing to bet your prior bird keepers trimmed the wings as they were growing in after the molt. If my bet is right, you can look for those wings to finish the molt within the next 3 months.

Keep us posted!

-MissK

[sanjays mummi]

Also give chicken, cheese and hard boiled egg, Sanjay has Feather Up supplement when he moults, otherwise he looks very tatty.,

[Skyes_crew]

My poor baby had never eaten a fruit or vegetable until he was 10 months old when I got him. I had asked the previous owner if he had ever molted and he said not that he had seen. So I had a bird with old feathers, horrible stress barring, and an overall tattered look. He has since coming to me, had a much healthier diet, daily baths, and his old feathers are finally falling out. His current molt is going on a month already and he is nowhere near finished. But he is finally getting new flights. It does take awhile. As the previous posters said...make sure your bird has the healthiest possible diet. I feed once a week small pieces of chicken or hard boiled egg, everyday dark green veggies and as a treat, peanuts. In no time your bird will properly feather up

[Jayjess2013]

mines 2 and never moulted too- he gets fruits, veggies, calcium and my neighbour said he might not have matured yet? He has a big black ring right around his neck so.....

[Skyes_crew]

How long have you had your bird?? IRNS's typically molt at 6 months, then around a year and then once a year thereafter. If your bird is 2 and you've had him since he was a baby and he has never molted, I would take him to a vet. It points to a serious vitamin deficiency.

[InTheAir]

Jayjess,

If his feathers on his neck have changed colour I'd be willing to bet he has moulted, um maybe you didn't notice....

But I have read a couple of your posts and agree with Skye, you should take both birds to an avian vet for a full health check, especially if you are planning to breed them.

Regards,
Claire

[pene.sampson]

I don't do this myself but I know a few breeders who pluck damaged feathers or clipped ones and the grow back quicker.

[Jayjess2013]

I got him when he was 10mnths- could he have moulted sometime then? he is 100% healthy, my neighbour is an avian vet, I can ask him to see if he is defficant

[Skyes_crew]

Depending where you live, he should have gone through a molt anywhere from 12 months to 15 months. And like Claire said, if he has a ring then he had to have molted.

[InTheAir]

[Skyes_crew]

[MissK]

Perhaps JayJess is just not familiar with what a molt looks like? Expecting an avalanche instead of a trickle? On the one hand, all those downy feathers should be hard to miss, but on the other hand, if the bird is playing with (and consequently destroying) the larger feathers, a person might not spot them. Rocky seems to throw down his feathers only one to two at a time, but he also likes to destroy them, so unless I catch them early or they fall through the grate, they are lost to me. Also, the canine segment of the household will "vacuum" up any feathers that hit the floor, so if they make it out of the cage, again, they're gone.

My 2 cents.
-MissK

[Skyes_crew]

MissK...once again the voice of reason.

[Jayjess2013]

I think he may of molted before I got him- he already has adults plumage- budgie molts are really so ugually!