FINCHforum

My one Fife hen, Spot, seemed to develop a feather problem earlier this year. It was as if she started molting and then just stopped, with no new feather growth taking place around her neck, head and chest. I pulled her from the main aviary, put her on a course of antibiotic's and she then spent winter in the juvie flight, where she grew back all her feathers beautifully. Come late spring, I put her back in the main aviary and she laid her first clutch. She has maintained her feathers and looks great.

Now the problem is that her first 2 chicks are a mess. They fledged according to 'schedule' and the one chick is about 85% feathered (missing patches on the head and along the spine under its wings) but the second chick has about 50% coverage, if that. It only has proper flight feathers, otherwise it looks like it has been plucked all over. Luckily it is extremely hot at the moment (30'C plus), so it's doing fine and is fluttering around the aviary. Spot has moved onto a second nest, while dad is doing feeding duties with the fledglings.

Does this sound normal for canaries to have such bad feather growth? My other pair of Fife canaries are having beautiful chicks, fully feathered upon fledging. I've decided to leave Spot to hatch a second clutch but if they also have a feather problem, I will pull her from breeding.

Both pairs of canaries are in the same aviary, with the same diet. So I can only see it being a genetic or behavioral problem (parents not feeding enough perhaps?).

Thanks as always

Besides the obvious feather plucking, chicks that don't have all their feathers at fledge is because for whatever reason they are not getting enough protein. Maybe the parent is not feeding them enough or the chicks can not absorb the protein correctly?
I think I would take her out of my breeding program till I could sort things out, especially if she also has a feather issue.
good luck

Missing feathers around a canary's head or neck is sometimes referred to by old timers as a "stuck moult" or being "stuck in the moult". It can be caused by vitamin or mineral deficiencies, or simply stress. Cucumber and "feather up" supplements will sometimes help as well as supplemental iodine if there isn't enough in the diet. Sometimes the condition won't correct itself until the following year's moult. I've had a couple of birds go through this and pull out of it just fine. Bob

debbie276 30 Seconds to Bob

Thanks Debbie and Bob. I was really hoping that Spot's feather problem was a once-off issue and not something genetic. They get plenty of protein in their diet, including mealworms which all the canaries love eating alongside their normal eggfood etc.

I have no idea what their background is and if they have raised chicks before. They do seem to be feeding the chicks regularly but in terms of quantity and if the chicks are absorbing protein correctly, I don't know... I will let the next clutch hatch and make a decision from there.

Just some interesting feedback.

This same pair fledged 3 new babies the end of last week, all well feathered, fat and healthy.

It looks like the lack of feathers on the first clutch was inexperience on the parents side. Both of these youngsters are now in the juvie flight, weaned and well feathered.

I'm glad I gave Spot another chance

Wonderful news!

That's great news !

Ginene@debbie276

Thanks ladies, appreciate it!!

These canaries are just too full of character! Nothing funnier than waching a canary literally scream at a gouldian at the food bowl and the gouldian just sits there and sings a song back in response

Canary intimidation no longer works on my finches, lol

YAY!