Picture of my Strawberries

[yegbirdlover]

isobea
@FinchsRUS
My male is moulting right now as well, and looks very shaggy. This is the time of year that they will lose their bright red feathering, and moult into the drab brown colour. Several of my local bird friends are experiencing the same thing with their birds. My Strawberries don't stop singing during the moult. I believe the moult should be complete within a month or two. Maybe more, maybe less. FinchsRUS may be able to weigh in on what he experiences.
The male I have right now, is on his 3rd clutch with the hen since Aug 1st. After that, they will be given a rest period until next summer.

[isobea]

Yes, my strawberry is definitely still losing more of his red feathers (and he still doesn't sing). I was curious because several years ago I was given an old male by a friend who had herself 'inherited' that bird from another friend. I had him for about 3 or 4 more years and though he hardly ever sang, he was very pretty. In fact, in all that time he never (!) molted out of his red feathers. Don't get me wrong, he did molt, but the feathers were always replaced by more red ones. At the time, I kind of assumed that was normal, never thought too much about it. Has anybody else ever heard of this happening or experienced it first hand?
Iso

[Derk]

isobea
Just found this post about your strawberry always being red. Most males lose a lot of their red once caged. Sorry if you have stated this elsewhere, but do you have an outdoor aviary?

[isobea]

Derk - Hi Mary, yes, I have an outdoor aviary (no birds in the house). The perplexing thing is that that old male back then never changed out of his red plumage. The one that I have now (bought last October) still looks pretty much like he did then. Meaning he is NOT molting into his red plumage. He only grew a few orange-red feathers here and there and that was it. Go figure.
Iso

[dunker817]

Your strawberry birdies are adorable. And so good with their eating habits. I went looking for bloodworms today but could only find the ones sold in the fish section. Is that what you use? Or is there a brand the finch fanciers prefer?

[Derk]

isobea
Flamingos are pink because of the shrimp and the blue green algae they eat. I wonder if the bloodworms you are feeding has something to do with it? I don't think finches normally eat this food source. Then again, others on the forum also feed bloodworms and I believe their birds have melanism. Hmmm definitely a mystery. Wish my strawberries had the same 'problem.'

[Derk]

dunker817
I have always liked that quote you use in your signature.

[isobea]

Derk - Hi Mary, yes, I offered dried bloodworms to my birds at one point but no takers. Ended up feeding them to the goldfish in our pond.
I just noticed today that the male I have now is molting and loosing all of his red feathers! He almost looks like my female already.
BTW, the male that stayed red was an old bird. Don't know how old but I inherited him from a friend who in turn had had him for a few years and gotten him from somebody else. He died several years ago. He could easily have been 7 to 10 years old.
Iso

[Derk]

isobea
hmm...lately I have been researching feather production, moulting, nutrients etc - I have a parrot with some feather issues. I have learned that many things can delay and speed up moulting - Not just nutrients but also bacteria and fungi - ie) staph. Birds can also get 'stuck' part way through a moult. I wonder if that was the case for this old guy. It will be interesting to see what others experience as their strawberries get older.

[jamezyboo21]

I have a male strawberry who I believe to be 10 years old. If his band is suppose to read like the NFSS bands then he should be 10. He looks almostlike the female but has black blotches on his chest and red on his tail.

[slwatson]

Beautiful birds!

[Derk]

jamezyboo21
That sounds like what is termed 'melanism.' It is a common problem with strawberries. They need to be out in the sunlight. Some people believe temperature may also be a factor. I have not heard how much full spectrum lights help.

[jamezyboo21]

derk
They'll have plenty of sun as soon as i get that aviary up and running.

[slwatson]

I love your strawberries!

[Derk]

jamezyboo21
Make sure you post pictures so I can steal ideas.