FINCHforum

I have a fawn society named Chippy that lost most of the feathers on both wings, and some of the feathers on his tail a few months after I bought him. He's been getting along pretty well for the last five years or so.

Well, I bought a fawn pied male named Castiel last summer. The problem is that he started losing his feathers a few months later. I bought him with some other societies and none of them have any feather problems. He doesn't seem to be in any danger, he just sort of bounces around the cage.

I was hoping to breed him with one of my females, but as I learnt with Chippy, feather problems equals no interested females. It just feels like I'm cursed with this mutation.

That is unusual in my experience. I have several fawn pied and fawn dilute Society's and none have feather problems. I wonder if there is something in the air or environment that the fawn mutation is sensitive to, as in an allergy? I'm interested to hear if other people with fawn Societies has observed anything.

finchmix22 wrote: That is unusual in my experience. I have several fawn pied and fawn dilute Society's and none have feather problems. I wonder if there is something in the air or environment that the fawn mutation is sensitive to, as in an allergy? I'm interested to hear if other people with fawn Societies has observed anything.

One thing is that my first fawn was originally housed in a completely different environment when he lost his feathers. I brought him from that place to my apartment and the problem continued.

Usually in the fall my first fawn grows enough feathers back to fly, but he loses them again in the middle of winter.

Raleighwheels
A strange occurance.
Out of my six Socies, I only have one fawn (a little girl). I have only had her for a few weeks, but her feathers are beautiful. As to the others, there are no problems whatsoever.

I've too many fawns and fawn pieds at moment ( nest boxes will be vanishing after curent 2 clutches fledge ) and never had any issues with any of them losing feathers other than normal moults and they'd never moult enough feathers at one time to be unable to fly.

I'm just wondering do you by any chance have your 2 fawn birds together in a seperate cage to the others ? If so it could be some sort of feather parasite which your newer fawn caught from the other 1.

Hello!

2/5 of my clan (a family) are fawns. The mom and one of their daughters... they seem to have the same quality feathers as my choc pieds. I havent seen them look distressed during molting either - i usually can't tell who is molting unless I check the feathers that had fallen on the floor. the only time they looked run down was their first ever molt.

My fawns have wonderful feathers. I agree with whoever asked about the possibility of parasites.

Smurf wrote: I've too many fawns and fawn pieds at moment ( nest boxes will be vanishing after curent 2 clutches fledge ) and never had any issues with any of them losing feathers other than normal moults and they'd never moult enough feathers at one time to be unable to fly.

I'm just wondering do you by any chance have your 2 fawn birds together in a seperate cage to the others ? If so it could be some sort of feather parasite which your newer fawn caught from the other 1.

The fawns were in a cage at one point with each other and three other societies, but it's only the fawns that have feather trouble. I've treated them multiple times for mites, and have done several super thorough cage cleanings. I thought about a parasite, but dismissed it due to all the birds being in close contact and only having two with problems.