FINCHforum

If I put a gouldian hen into a cage with molting hens, is it possible that the environment of the other hens molting could trigger the new hen to start molting?

If so I won't do that as I am getting ready to breed this hen.
It is ready to come out of quarantine, and I am thinking about which cage to put her into, the community hen cage or the cage that I plan to breed her in. Her future mate is finishing his molt, so they won't be put together for a while.

Gary,

The only two things I know that can push them into molt is stress and the austerity diet.

The only thing that triggers my gouldians to molt is heat, once it gets warm in the spring they all go into molt. I couldn't trigger a molt with the austerity diet when I tried.