I'm trying to establish how often budgies moult. Maxie's cage is full of cute little downey "underwear" feathers .. she's approx 12 months old. I find most of the answers to my questions on this forum of course...however for the "fun" of it decided to google as well. I came up with this rather amusing "article" on moulting and thought I would share it with you. Its obviously a DIRECT translation from another language and I found it in places quite amusing the way it translates!! ...

 

"Concerning a normal moult it from date to date happens that the bird loses awfully frequent feathers at the same time. The bird’s ability to cast or weigh anchor then for a abridged date is reduced. Older birds who are competent in flying can adjust skilfully. Young birds who be subjected to their highest moult are beside and bulky minor trained than their older fellows. Therefore crashes can happen.

 

Allowing a budgie of any aeon loses acutely frequent primary feathers (wing feathers) at the same time and has difficulties to ascend you should greater not hazard any blow and leave the bird in its coop up for the next few days. When the original feathers are abundant adequate to assurance a save flight and navigation the bird should live befall let absent of the immure afresh. In accepted it doesn’t capture longer than two weeks until the feathers grow countenance.

 

In orderliness to support a bird while it is undergoing the everyday moult, you should let it be in the land of Nod at the time that much when it wants. The older the bird is, the moodier and fresh shaky it becomes during the moult. Their body needs a lot of animation in harmony to form up the modern feathers. Therefore it is important to cater blooming fresh refreshment like fruits or vegetable....".

 

Rather than bother the forum with a probably far too common question, I will now search the forum for info on moulting but did just want to share the above with you first!!

I have found with my birds that they molt every 3 to 4 months and it is a different type each time, like example...one molt Merlin pay drop feathers like they are going out of style and another molt may be long lasting and seems to take forever. With the artifical living that most birds live it is hard for them to develop the molt patterns that the ones in the wild do. So that is my experience with mine.

In order to help while it is undergoing the moult, you should let it sleep as much as it wants. The older the bird is, the moodier and more unbalanced it becomes during the moult. Their body needs much energy in order to build up the new feathers. Therefore it is important to provide healthy fresh food like fruits or vegetable. Salad cucumber for example contains a lot of minerals which the birds need during the moult, also sprouted wheat is a recommended food.