May be a silly question

[brianL23]

I know that during a molt, new feathers are coming in. But what does this look like? Do all of the birds feathers fall out? Or is this a gradual process.

 

My bird's feathers are not falling out, just curious as to what to look for before/during a molt.

[Lyric]

Hi Brian, the feathers do not all fall out at once. It is a pretty gradual process. You will notice a lot of the little white fluffy feathers around under your bird's cage, this is a sign the molt is going on. You may see an occasional pin feather here and there on the bird. The feathers are enclosed in a hard sheath when they first start coming out and the bird preens and breaks this open as the feathers grow. Your bird will lose a feather here and there but it shouldn't ever be completely bald.

[brianL23]

Good to know! Yeah, I do see feathers coming in covered in a sheath. Some tail feathers are coming in, as well as some feathers around his neck. Those little fluff ball feathers are all around my apartment! I think I could make a small pillow with what my vacum has collected in the last two weeks!

[dblhelix]

Rule # 1, there are no silly questions!

 

Birds have 2 different main types of molt. There is the "downy" feather molt, and the tail/flight feather molt.

 

Keep in mind some moting of various feathers all throughout the year is normal. However, during the downy feather molt you will see quite a lot of the small, light, soft downy feathers coming out. The volume can actually be alarming to new owners the first time you experience this. Feathers are replaced with new ones that are wrapped in a fairly tough sheath. These initial feathers may look like pins, hence the term "pin feather". The birds must strip the sheath off the feather shaft to allow the feather to unfurl. Duing any molt some birds may be a bit more irritable and/or uncomfortable due to the feather coming in. Some birds are rather affected with discomfort, some not at all and most somewhere in between.

 

The tail/flight feather molt takes place over several months and follows a pattern. You will note that when flight #7 comes out on one wing, the same feather will soon come out on the other wing. This has evolved this way to help ensure the bird maintains proper flight balance during the process. In addition, the reason it happens rather slowly, over several months is so the bird can continue with full flight capabilities during this time. You can imagine that in the wild a bird that cannot fly is a dead bird.

 

Bottom line, both major molts take months to complete, but you can definitely tell when they are having 1 or the other happen. In a normal molt the bird never gets bare, just could look a bit ratty if lots of pin feathers are coming in at same time. B)

 

Good, though a bit long read:

 

http://www.parrotpassionsuk.com/Advice/Moulting.htm<br><br>Post edited by: dblhelix, at: 2008/12/15 19:48

[Luvparrots]

Thanks for the info about the stages of molting. It is truly appreciated by us new grey owners!!