# Pigeons losing feathers



## draykie (Dec 14, 2006)

Hey guys.

I'm inclined to think this is just a yearly moult, but... both my little birdies are losing a lot of feathers lately. The little lady has a patch of feathers missing on her wing and the floor is full of feathers everyday lately... while the little guy is the same, losing feathers left and right.

However, with the little guy, he's losing a lot of feathers around his beak. It looks like a Homer beard, all stubbly... when holding him, you get a lot of tiny face feathers falling out every now and then. My friend suggested that maybe his cere, which has always been kind of soft and small, may be growing in to be big and mature like the hen's is, but is this how feather loss works? Is there some reason his feathers are all falling out around his beak? He's losing plumage in other places too, but the feather loss around his beak is really noticeable.


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

They are probably just moulting, but if you like, you can post a picture to show us exactly how they look.


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## draykie (Dec 14, 2006)

Yeah, I'm really leaning toward a moult, especially considering we're heading into winter here in the Great White North... just always worried about my little ones. I swear I stress myself out more over my animals than anything else in my life, haha.

I'll get some pics up tomorrow after I get home from work. The hen looks great, just the patch missing from her wing, it's the little guy's beak that looked weird to me. I've never seen a bird moult like that, but then again, I've also never kept pigeons in my home.


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## draykie (Dec 14, 2006)

Pics:


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

I have some that look like that. The feathers are coming back in.


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## draykie (Dec 14, 2006)

Ok, thanks. Thought I'd check... I'll still be teasing him about his little Homer-beard until they're back, lol.


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