What kind of bath is best for feather problems (Forbes Hen)?

[nixity]

(BTW: A fan note here -- your article on discerning the colors of young gouldians in the NFSS Journal was very enlightening and informative. I'm a prodigious reader and I was also impressed with the superlative organization and articulation in the piece. Thank you for writing it.)

Thanks!! ;)

[MLaRue]

I had a regular Red Face Parrot Finch take on a look like this but it was the wings only and in his case he had no wing feathers. I put him through a hard austere diet for what seemed like forever, but it was a good two months and then gave him all the goodies back and he turned into a beautiful Parrot finch again.

I know most don't encourage an austere diet with other species but it did work with the Parrots.

A side note - one of your male Forbes looks obese with that huge round chest. If you push/blow the feathers apart you might see a fat reserve there. Again it looks like he is overweight but pictures are hard to really tell from...

As for bathing - I offer clean water with nothing in it. I have yet to see a difference with ACV in their water or not. I also allow mine to bathe in S76 not the Listerine for any possible mites.

[annague]

Thanks for the thoughts, Misty! Actually, Parrot Finches do best with an austere period,too (that according to many including Mike Fidler). So, that may well do the trick -- I have been feeding her eggfood for a while with no results yet and (to Tiffany's point) if she has experienced a repressed molt an austere feeding period may kick start her cycle again. All right. No more eggfood for a bit for the little hen & we'll see if that works. I'll also try the S76 in the bath water-- that's a great idea.

And... you're right, Boy Forbes does look chunky in that photo. He's not going to be breeding any time soon but I want to keep him lean and mean so I'll check him out.

[CandoAviary]

Vitamin A deficiency can cause this... brittle feathers that snap and fall out. Even though your other birds that are on the same diet look fine she may not be able to utilize the vitamin contents as well due to other factors... age, liver problems, etc.

[annague]

Good to know, Candace. Thank you. She is an end of 2009 bird so is relatively young but I will keep an eye on her and see if any other indications point the way toward under-utilization of Vit A.

[monotwine]

Anna to answer your question the ACV goes into the drinking and bathing water. I've not noticed a real improvement of feather quality with the bathing water, but the addition of ACV in the drinking water keeps their crops at a more optimal pH.
I just suggested the ACV over the Listerine as I think the latter is far more harsh.

It’s difficult to say why your hen looks like she does. Often a nutritional deficiency only expresses itself after the event. So if she was suppressed for eating a full diet with the stars perhaps you are only seeing the results now?
I had two different parrot finches with feather issues. One was plucking herself and the other had an overzealous owl finch cage partner. The one plucking herself never got solved. Isolation and diet improved the condition but she always went back to the habit. The other I moved away from the cage mate, also put her on an austerity diet of various millets and she moulted out beautifully.

Wish you all the best for the improvement on your hens condition. They truly do look awful when moulting.