bald gouldians

[maru]

Hi!
I would like advice about some hens that have lost feathers. get prepared for the pictures...
The first one is a hen that was very pretty and healthy, and I gave it to a friend, along with a cock. She lives in a different city that I do, so I can´t share my supplements or anything with her, and she hasn´t bought them, so maybe the birds are lacking a vitamin or something. The male is ok, but the hen is like this:

[maru]

And also... some of my hens are bald, too. I only took a picture of the one that is really horrible, she really seems a vulture. Tomorrow I can show you pictures of the other two that have lost feathers. This one has been like this for several months, I think that about on July she began loosing feathers, and finished with almost none feathers in the head, and since then has been like this. She seems healthy, eats well, etc. I thought that maybe next moulting season she would gain her feathers again, but I really don´t know what happened, I give them vitamins, egg food... I try to follow the Dr. Marshall´s health plan, I have Megamix, Ioford, E-vite, Turbo-booster... I read when the birds receive supplements and eat well, they don´t need extra iodine, so I haven´t given them iodine, only occasionally. Well, now, the picture:

[debbie276]

Here's an interesting article that may point you in he right direction:
https://ladygouldian.com/content/why-my-gouldian-bald

There are several reasons why they would go bald, over breeding, genetics, hormonal imbalance and/or nutritional deficiency to name a few. If you are offering oyster shells for calcium they are also getting enough iodine that it shouldn't be an iodine deficiency.
The Yellow sure looks like a male to me, what deep dark yellow belly she has.
I'm sure next molt they will feather in nicely. Now you just have to figure out what triggered it to begin with.
good luck

[maru]

Thank you Debbie. I suppose it´s a genetic issue. What surprises me is that this hasn´t happened with any of my males, just some of the hens.
And regarding my friend´s hen, she was really beautiful when I gave it to her, and the way she has lost feathers looks strange to me, around the eyes and the beak. Do you think it could be a sickness? The male, as you can see, lives with her and seems ok.

[maru]

The yellow one... the one that has no feathers on the head? She is a hen, I´m sure. Last season she was paired with a beautiful male, and they had chicks, but the male threw them out of the nest, and I couldn´t save any. I know it was the male, because this season I joined him with another hen, and he did it again

[debbie276]

The black head could be a hormonal thing or over breeding, it looks like she is in breeding mode.
I would give them both a break from breeding and try to sort it out. Maybe a good multi vitamin supplement would help in case it's a nutritional thing. Personally I would offer hard boiled egg with hand feeding formula added because the formula is a complete food with everything chicks need to live.
Most times it is the hens that go bald and not the males especially if it's from hormones and/or over breeding.
good luck