# Is this normal molting?



## themela (Oct 19, 2006)

Is this the time of year when birds go into molting?

And how many feathers will the birds shed?

Mine have shed so much around their necks and head that they are practically bald.

Is that normal or am I looking at sick birds?

Any advice would be most appreciated.


----------



## Becca199212 (May 10, 2007)

From the resource page on molting-
http://www.earthlife.net/birds/moult.html


----------



## george simon (Feb 28, 2006)

HI THEMELA, Yes this quite normal,the birds are changing their coats getting ready for winter. At this time one must pay attenchion to feeding the birds good food, a poor diet at this time leads to poor feathers for the rest of the year. GEORGE


----------



## Hillybean (Oct 30, 2005)

I am not that much experianced or an expert. I would say that it is a normal moult. Pigeons, and birds, lose a TON of feathers during moults. Yes, many pigeons are going through moults right now.

One of mine had balding on its head, and another on its neck. It was just moulting.

Illness can be a possibility. I think canker is the illness that can make baldness/feather loss. I'd look in their mouths for any yellow cottage cheese stuff, just to be on the safe side.

I think mite or pigeon lice, can also cause feather loss. You could powder them down with sevins dust, again just to be safe.

Most likely just a moult. Are any of them acting sick?? Are their poos good??

-Hilly

Becca, thank you for the link.


----------



## Victor (Dec 18, 2004)

Hi Thelma, 

Be rest assured, if they are dispalying no other signs of illness, they are going through their fall molt.

Lately, my wet dry vac fills up to a quarter full, and I have a mess in my flight pen too. 

Some go though it better than others. My poor Rosco had a circumferance bald spot around his neck, as he did last year poor thing. He is starting to look like his handsome self again.

AVC water, and probiotcs and very important access to bathe themselves is a must. I give mine a weekly bath in pigeon bath solution I get from Foy's to insure their feathers are clean and any unauthorized critters don't stay.They have access to a daily regular clean water bath in their coop/pen almost every day. Sometimes I have to change twice a day insure the water is clean and free from dander , feathers and any possible poo that may contaminate the water.


----------



## themela (Oct 19, 2006)

Thank you all very much for taking the time to respond. It warms my heart that there are caring people with great advice!


----------



## TheSnipes (Apr 9, 2007)

Victor said:


> I give mine a weekly bath in pigeon bath solution I get from Foy's to insure their feathers are clean and any unauthorized critters don't stay.They have access to a daily regular clean water bath in their coop/pen almost every day. Sometimes I have to change twice a day insure the water is clean and free from dander , feathers and any possible poo that may contaminate the water.


likewise .... my birds are ready for clean pans of water and they see them coming. The line up for it! I put that Foy's salts in it and since I started using that in their baths we have has no parasites


----------



## Baskar (Sep 30, 2007)

Not a pigeon expert, but as far as birds go, from what I have seen they go through two primary moltings a year. One in spring and one at the end of summer. At least, that's how it goes for most of my birds EXCEPT for my Roman Tufted Buff geese. They have a tendency to molt all summer long. Feathers everywhere, more than the wild birds can pick up and horde for their nesting purposes, that's for sure.

The call ducks molt, but they're so small that their feathers are either blown away or picked up real fast. same goes for most of the chickens, except for the Buff Orpington's and the La Fleur's. 

As for the quail and pheasants, I am pretty sure they molt once a year, at least from what I can tell. My button quail tend to molt around every year between April and July.


----------



## maryjane (Jul 15, 2006)

Yup, looks like someone opened up several pillows around my yard right now!! My dove Ivan gets it the worst, he is naked for about two weeks before his new feathers come in. I wish I had a little sweater for him (j/k, j/k  ). They do enjoy their baths when molting especially. Good luck with the new feathers hehe.


----------



## Baskar (Sep 30, 2007)

You know what's so good about goose feathers all over the place? Nice comfy feather pillows. Just make sure you clean em thoroughly. 

I've tried cotton pillows and can't stand em. Can't have a special groove for your head unless you take some cotton out yourself...what a pain


----------



## themela (Oct 19, 2006)

Baskar said:


> You know what's so good about goose feathers all over the place? Nice comfy feather pillows. Just make sure you clean em thoroughly.


Can you use pigeon feathers for a pillow?

And how do you clean feathers?

I'm guessing that clean feathers can be used for some kind of art project if not for a pillow.


----------



## Baskar (Sep 30, 2007)

Well for us, the roman tufted geese keep themselves clean period. It's like they pride themselves on being pure white all the time. You get a bright sun, one of my geese and your eyes will hurt from the glare, I KID YOU NOT. 
That being said, he usually just get a wash rag, some hot water and lightly rub em down a few times. (like rub one down, wait a few hours, do it again, repeat) Get a pillow case or some sort of covering, put em in, sew em up, bingo. 

No idea about pigeon feathers, never thought of it.


----------



## mr squeaks (Apr 14, 2005)

With feathers, I think we are only bound by our imaginations!

Margaret puts feathers in her Pigeon Goddess...I save Squeak's best for ??? Some could make beautiful feather collages or used anyway the artist wishes. 

For a pillow, would have to use just the softest ones...why NOT a pigeon pillow?   

Shi &
Squeaks (who just finished his molting, thank goodness. Hard to believe how many feathers can come from ONE bird and he doesn't even show bald spots!)


----------



## Margarret (May 3, 2007)

Yep, I've been ankle deep in feathers for the past several weeks. I think they are done and then I step into the loft in the morning and feathers are everywhere. I don't see why the soft feathers couldn't be used for pillows. I've run it briefly through my thoughts, but don't know exactly how I would go about it. I can recall when I was a little kid (back in the stone ages) my dad would go duck hunting. We would all sit around a big wash tub in the kitchen plucking them and the breast "down" would be saved for pillows. Mom kept a big pillowcase full of duck feathers in the garage to refresh the feather pillows from time to time. Hmmm, so many skills have been lost, haven't they?

Margaret


----------



## Baskar (Sep 30, 2007)

Yeah, that's how I remembered to do pillow cases. Slightly different story, but same concept.  Will just say - Farm life. I think that sums it up. 

I can't sew, must be a guy thing, I don't know. I've tried and tried, but man.


----------



## TerriB (Nov 16, 2003)

I've been told that a healthy bird has a quick molt. So when you find a huge pile of feathers under a bird in the morning, that's good.  Typically, a bird will start sprouting the replacement feathers within a few days. Several more days, and the feather sheaths begin to dry out. At this time, the birds REALLY want to bathe! Wetting then drying out makes it is easier to release the feathers from the sheath. You'll see lots of sheath crumbs around the birds after their morning grooming.

Molting seems to come in stages. One day, feathers will be dropping from their back, a week or so later, from another part of their body. Wing and tail feathers are lost and replaced in series (I think from the inside out). You can see how faded the old feathers are in comparison to the shiny new ones. (Good time to take pictures when they look their best!)


----------



## CHRISTIN RN (Sep 2, 2007)

Becca199212 said:


> From the resource page on molting-
> http://www.earthlife.net/birds/moult.html


Thanks for the resource page!
Blessings to you and yours!


----------

