I have 2 babies so far out of 1 nest that have their fight feathers abnormal (see photo), the mother did and does feather pluck them, I have vasoline on the babies and glass on the nest, I seemed to have slowed it down but yesterday I notice their wings are strange. They are 5 weeks old, I am thinking feather duster or maybe french molt.

I have never had a bird with french molt as to now so not sure, I have had 2 feather dusters out of ! nesy a few years ago but they had really messy wings, very, very untidy looking.

But these babies their wings are not really untidy yet.

They are both dark green but the older one looks to be olive as it has blue tail feather and the other one has black.

Anyway take a look and see if anyone can help. :excl:

 

The older one which looks worse which we think is an Olive.

 

 

The younger one which is not as bad and only 2 days difference in age

 

 

 

The 2 of them

 

 

What do you all think?

:rip:

Edited June 20, 200717 yr by Daz

Please Help has anyone seen this before?

 

Edited June 20, 200717 yr by splat

Hi Splat at first I thought a light case of French moult but the feathers look strong to the wing buts and are not deformed in anyway. Are there any feathers missing or just not fully developed?

 

I don't think it is FM. I would try to get soe Olive LEaf Extract from the chemist and dabb it on their wing buts. This will help the feather growth.

 

If you look at the ends of feathers that have fallen out and they are round and smooth, that is good. But a bird that develops FM or Polymivirus has deformed ends on their feathers.

 

Some information on French Moult

PDF Document on French Moult or Polymavirus

What Dr Marshall says on the subject -it very good.

Edited June 20, 200717 yr by Daz

Hi Splat at first I thought a light case of French moult but the feathers look strong to the wing buts and are not deformed in anyway. Are there any feathers missing or just not fully developed?

 

I don't think it is FM. I would try to get soe Olive LEaf Extract from the chemist and dabb it on their wing buts. This will help the feather growth.

 

If you look at the ends of feathers that have fallen out and they are round and smooth, that is good. But a bird that develops FM or Polymivirus has deformed ends on their feathers.

 

No Daz there are no feathers missing at this stage, but I am really worried that they are feather dusters, because the older one has really long feathers around the head and neck area. Normally that is what we are looking for is feather length in head and etc, but these birds have me worried.

Edited June 20, 200717 yr by splat

Splat I hate to tell you good news but I hope you get used to that look. You'll need it for Show

 

Remember this one.

 

http://home.gil.com.au/~dwellsadsl/2007_chicks/PR-7_252.jpg

 

 

Thats the look, unfortunately he got FM.. He will be leaving me too this weekend.

 

No you don't have Feather Duster. At 5 weeks old they will look like this.

 

 

 

 

 

You get to know around the 3 to 4 week mark that your "Stormer" is in trouble.

Edited June 20, 200717 yr by Daz

It just looks like an extended quill sheath that has not fallen or been cleaned off. You might be able to gently prize it off yourself, or stop the vaseline so the mum or chick can do it for you.

 

Cheers,

KathyW.

That's what I am wondering, should I give him a warm sopy bath and wash the vasaline off, maybe it's the culprit.

Daz a few years ago i had a couple of mops and the hair didn't really start to curl until about 41/2 to 5 weeks old.

Here are some more photos of the oldest, maybe it's the vasaline that is making him look crappy.

 

 

 

 

 

Daz I hope he turns out alright and the length of feather will be the best thing in the long run, WOW

I agree with KathyW...about the sheath over the feather. You can use a small section of hacksaw blade to tease the feather sheath off. Use it like a comb not like a sawing motion at all. Probably is time to wash the budgie too on a warm day or with a heater going in the room so it warms back up again quickly.

 

PS cute baby

Edited June 20, 200717 yr by **KAZ**

Splat if you have`nt washed them yet.I surgest you use some baby shampoo & a spray bottle with some warm water & a drop of shampoo.

 

Put the birds in a cage of some sort, that dos`nt hold water.& spray them till they are soaked.I made a cage up for the washing job.It fits into my chicken hatching incubator.I then turn the incubator on & leave the door about quarter open & let it run for 1/2 to 3/4 hour & lovely dry budgies.Or place them in front of a small heater, or use a hair dryer. I miss a bit, I take the exess water off them with some paper towel.The main thing.Don`t let them get cold before you dry them.

Thanks everyone, tried what Kathy W and Kas said and I think that was staring to feather but I hit blood stop straight away. will wash them tomorrow and no more vasaline. I took them out of the neat box and put them on the floor so dad can look after them. That will stop her from plucking them too. So far so good.

I would take the hen out of the cage. She maybe inclinde to attack them if she is a feather plucker.

I thought at first that all the feathers looked strange, but then I realised that you put Vaseline on them, which makes it hard, as maybe that’s all that’s making the body feathers look like something is wrong with them. I had some FM young & with them the feathers just fell out from the roots & some of the feathers were distorted & discoloured [not normal] they didn’t have retained sheath like yours. They look similar to a problem I had with pigeons, which I thought was something similar to FM, but that was only my thoughts, not any scientific opinion. In them the feather sheaths remained on the feathers & also there was blood still in the pins & later the feathers snapped off, but the root end stayed in the wings, unlike FM where they drop out completely. I haven’t had a lot of experience with buff, but some of the buff type birds that I have bred, look to me like the feather quality isn’t the same as on other birds. Maybe it could be related to this & may just delay the shedding of the sheath, I think it’s best to wash the oil off & give us some new picture, but maybe you will just have to wait for further developments.

The little baby looks so cute in the 2nd to last picture with it's spikey do.

The little baby looks so cute in the 2nd to last picture with it's spikey do.

 

Hehe, I was thinking the same thing. *Rock Star* budgie