FINCHforum

My coming-up-on-four year old society finch Apollo has for most of this year had a bad time keeping a tail. Every feather seems to break off halfway a few days to weeks after molting in. I end up plucking the stumps, they come back, and they break immediately. Any ideas as to how to remedy this?

I would think if it were diet-related it would affect his wings as well, but they are in good shape.

He is on a mostly pellet diet (Roudybush) but does get a decent amount of seed and regular offerings of fresh greens. I don't feed eggfood as often as I used to, but I am not sure that would have such an effect, as it hasn't on any other bird. Though it's worth stating Apollo is my oldest. For the past few weeks he's had a nest available and so he's been in there either building, incubating or feeding chicks since September but the tail feathers started breaking in May, when they had no nest available and so nothing to really be breaking them against.

Do I just have to live with my guy having a ratty stump tail?

Sheather

Even my parrot gets a regular boiled egg with cuttlebone shaved on top 2-3 times a week. He's on his 3th molt flawlessly, and since he eats a TON of veggies, nuts and fruits I dont ever give him vitamins.

Somewhere in the endless pages of our threads I noted a common theme of solutions.... those common nutrients for feather renewal, protein-vitD-calcium.

Another mantra I noted as I poured through the threads a few years ago........we cant mimic sunlight through our glass windows.

Which brings me back to the first equation and solution.

I know it's a double-edged sword as it brings on breeding urges, but that's what happens after a strong molt in the wild, yes? That vigorous........oh I am soooo sexy gloss.

I'd give boiled egg and shells together another try. Hopefully his feathers will grow in stronger and less brittle. Wings will grow in emaciated chicks for survival first, as flight is more important than the rudder /landing . I learned that when rehabbing wild birds.

Hopefully if others have a better solution, they can chime in.

Sheather

Is it possible that the perches in the cage are too close to the bars?

It might be a nutritional issue, where some little thing is missing, that we would never think about, or even know about.

I know I'm starting to sound like a broken record, or a company rep for Feather Fast, but I would suggest maybe giving it a try. It's really done wonders for the kids feathers.

http://www.morningbirdproducts.com/prod ... rfast.html

I do have some of that, bought it a few years ago, but found birds wouldn't eat anything sprinkled with it. Could try again I suppose. I'll have to make up some eggs too.

It's not the perches, they're plenty well spaced.

Sheather

My guys actually seem to like the stuff, and have no issue with eating it in their food.

Maybe offer first thing in the morning, when everyone is just waking up and hungry.

Hi know way this is what my society used to do he could never grow a tail and when it did it fell out again this happens continuous then one day when they got attacked by magpies they pulled his tail off and it grew back and stayed now I have him in my aviary.

It caused problems to his flying aswell just hope yours get better and not suggesting u leave him with a flock of magpies tho lol