Aggressive Hen

[lovemyfinch]

If you are seeing white pin feathers on their heads, and they are looking a little rough around the edges, then they would be molting.
If not, then I wonder if maybe they are preening these little feathers to line their invisible nest.?

[DCbeachboy]

Am not seeing any white pin feathers on their heads, but I have noticed lately that both birds seem to appear less tucked and groomed -- frequently having feathers out of place. That's very unusual for the male -- he's always been extremely well-groomed, with rarely a feather out of place. The hen, however, as long as I've had her has always appeared rather frumpy, with a few untucked feathers frequently visible around the abdomen area.

Update: I just examined the tangle of feathers I'd discarded this morning a little more closely, and there ARE several colored feathers there. I found 4-5 green-tipped (back) feathers, and 6-7 blue-tipped (tail) feathers, along with the 3-4 yellow-tipped feathers I'd mentioned previously.

When this began about a month ago, they were losing only a few feathers daily and they were all tiny down feathers under a half-inch and white or gray in color. For the past 2 days they've lost about 20-25 feathers daily (maybe more), they're larger (usually between a half-inch and 1 inch), and now some are color-tipped.

I wonder if maybe they are preening these little feathers to line their invisible nest?

I love this thought -- should I just add the nestbox and nesting materials after all, to see if they stop? I'm just concerned that if they ARE molting, I've read that should never overlap with their breeding cycle. How can I tell if this is a true molt, in the absence of white pin feathers on their heads?

[nixity]

Does sound like they may be starting a molt.. most of mine are too. I would give it a few weeks and see what happens. Does the male have long tail feathers/ spires?

[DCbeachboy]

I would give it a few weeks and see what happens. Does the male have long tail feathers/ spires?

Yes, the male does have longer tail feathers than the hen. I believe I see what you are calling a "spire", and suspect that maybe his tail feathers ARE a bit longer than in the past.

As for waiting....do you mean waiting before adding the nestbox, as I'd planned to do today? Should I change their diet if they are indeed molting?

Is it normal for birds that completed their 1st full (juvenile) molt only 6 months ago to be already molting again so soon? How long can this last?

[nixity]

I mean waiting to see if they are indeed molting - if they are, you'll need to wait for the molt cycle to end before giving them a box :/

And yes - it's perfectly normal. They tend to fall into a seasonal pattern and since the weather is coming warm, they will likely start to molt - could just be a small "half" molt rather than a full blown molt, you'll just have to wait it out and see.