how long does a moulting Gouldian...

FrenchieFinch · Post by **FrenchieFinch** » Wed May 13, 2009 9:23 pm

Hi everyone, I tried searhing for the answer, maybe you all can tell me...
How long does the moulting process take? My male is going on 3 weeks now, and his head is now covered with pin feathers...I just am worried I am not giving him what he needs to get over the hump so to speak....is this too long? is he stuck in the moult?

nixity · Post by **nixity** » Wed May 13, 2009 11:20 pm

Pins are always a good sign, and never - to me - a sign of being stuck in the molt. Stuck in the molt is usually signified by multiple juvenile patches left over after the juvenile molt, or baldness/thinness from feathers that don't replace themselves, etc.
3 weeks is nothin'!

I always tell people that average is 4-6 months, with the first juvenile molt sometimes taking up to a year to complete.

nixity · Post by **nixity** » Wed May 13, 2009 11:22 pm

I should clarify - usually the head is the very last thing to molt. So if your male is all pins in his head, chances are he has already molted, or is presently fully molting, out in his body.
I guess for adult birds, a good "average" is 2-6 months.

FrenchieFinch · Post by **FrenchieFinch** » Wed May 13, 2009 11:44 pm

nixity wrote:I should clarify - usually the head is the very last thing to molt. So if your male is all pins in his head, chances are he has already molted, or is presently fully molting, out in his body.
I guess for adult birds, a good "average" is 2-6 months.

Thanks Nixity, i will keep catering lots of good food stuffs to help him along....

perrysbirds · Post by **perrysbirds** » Sat Jun 13, 2009 7:23 pm

I have 4 young gouldians that were born in January and only one of them have had all the pin feathers in the head and has now finally come into full adult color.My other 3 seem to be nowhere near finishing the moult.I can say though that I can see two of the young ones practising thier songs on the perch.Now,Is this normal for only one of the four young birds to molt right into his full colors.

L in Ontario · Post by **L in Ontario** » Sat Jun 13, 2009 8:33 pm

Absolutely normal Perry, yes. I have some Gouldians hatched last fall that haven't coloured up all the way yet. 6 months is average but they can take a year (without getting stuck in a moult). It's all very individual. Even within the same clutch - siblings can moult out in different timeframes. Some moult right away and others take their sweet time. Good things are worth waiting for!

perrysbirds · Post by **perrysbirds** » Sun Jun 14, 2009 5:55 pm

Thats good to know!
I thought something might be wrong!