Exposed ear concerns

[raymeedc]

I'm new to finches, so please excuse my ignorance if this is a stupid question.
I've just obtained my first pair of birds (male Gouldians). One of them has an exposed ear on one side of his head not covered with feathers.It doesn't appear to be problematic in any obvious way (no apparent redness, the bird doesn't pick at it), as far as I can tell. It's just that I haven't noticed this on other Gouldians (my other male included). Of course, this entails a grand total of 2 weeks experience on my part, hence the following question I'm posing to you more experienced forum members:. Is this a genetic fault that will always be, a dietary deficiency (the breeder had them on a strict seed diet), or is this a partial molt problem (came from overly crowded living conditions, in my opinion..... a lot of the birds looked stressed) that might possibly be corrected with his next molt?
P.S. - I got them from a local breeder who told me they were 10 months old, if that matters.

[B CAMP]

I think it could be genetic but it could also be another bird was plucking the feathers,or a moulting problem.
Are you giving them a better diet than just seeds? They do need more than just seeds,eggfood greens etc. Goudians need extra iodine in the diet for feather growth i use powdered kelp i put in small cup and they can eat any time they want,have you checked out finch info center lot of good reading
http://www.finchinfo.com/birds/finches/ ... _finch.php

[raymeedc]

Yes, I've been researching their dietary needs on this & other sites. I've added egg food mixture along with a continuing experimentation with recommended greens, vegetables, & fruits. I can see it's going to take a little persistence to get these birds to eat anything other than their seed diet, but they've already been nibbling on crumbled eggs & broccoli tops.

[B CAMP]

Yes gouldians are not the best at trying new foods just keep trying as they will try some new things good luck with him