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Free Falling Feathers – Understanding your bird’s molt

May 14, 2012 | 1:55 PM

When was the last time you had an explosion in your bedroom and feathers went everywhere? Was it a pillow fight or the last time Henry molted? Chances are your bird left feathers behind. Molting is a natural process for all healthy birds. In simple terms, molting is the process of shedding old feathers and growing new ones.
In general, most species of pet birds molt two or three times a year. There are some species that molt year-round. The process of molting is triggered by a number of things – a bird’s hormonal processes, seasonal changes in light, available food supplies, species, and the gender of species.
Generally, the more light reaching your pet, either natural or artificial, the more feather production. Nutrient-rich food supplies can result in feather production too. In the wild, for example, the availability of food can give a bird an extra incentive to molt – a process that increases metabolic energy requirements by 15 to 30 percent.
To meet the energy needs of molting pet birds, avian veterinarians often recommend adding more calcium, fat, and protein to the pet’s diet. Protein can be supplied in the offering of hard-boiled eggs, yellow cheese, cooked chicken and water-packed tuna. Finicky eaters can be helped with a sprinkle of a powdered vitamin and mineral supplement on their seeds, fruits, and vegetables.
The molting process involves new feather shafts (pinfeathers) pushing old feathers out. When pinfeathers poke through the bird’s skin, they are coated in a wax-like substance. Birds preen more often during molting to remove this coating. All new feathers have visible veins filled with blood. Once the feather is done growing, the vein disappears, receding back into the bird’s skin. Feathers are more than 85 percent protein.
As a general rule, feather loss due to molting begins with the innermost primary wing feathers followed by the outermost secondary wing feathers. Body feathers fall next, then tail feathers. Some ornithologists believe the order of feather loss is directly linked to a bird’s retention of flight capabilities during molting.
Molting is a stressful process for most birds. Some birds become irritable, others beg for attention. Owners can help by scratching their pet’s head, a place difficult for a bird to reach and loosen feather sheaths. Lightly rolling the new feathers between one’s fingers can help remove the waxy coating. Daily misting with lukewarm, fresh water and a feather conditioner are comforting to molting birds too. Once molting is complete, new feather wings should be clipped to discourage a bird’s flight that could end in injury. Petland offers a number of products to help pet birds through the molting process like molting foods, bath sprays and other molting products.

Some birds experience real difficulties during molting. An avian veterinarian should be called if molting results in abnormal patches of bald skin, lesions on the skin, ragged feathers, and black feathers, all signs of possible illness or stress.