Hi, I am new to this forum thank for allowing me to join. The problem i am having is with one of my little chicks. I have just breed my first batch of budgies 4 in total. they started to leave the nest 3 weeks ago. i Have 3 that are fighting fit and in good health but the last one to leave the nest can't fly. It has not developed the big tail feathers or the big feathers on the wings. i am a little worried as it is not scared to try and flly. But comes to a crash on the ground. i am worried he will hurt itself soon. It wants to fly just hasn't the feathers. i just worried about it spending all its time on the ground. Apart from this it looks very health and nice and plump. It feeds well and has quite alot of character (has alot to say but i think this is because he is jealous of his family and friends flying above him.)

I dont know what to do.

Will the feathers grow?

Is he sick?

Is this a common problem or just my like mate?

Hi Stu and welcome to our forum.

You have what can commonly be called a french moult chick...one without flight feathers on wing and tail. There are various reasons this happens and many many differences of opinion on why...the cause and end results. Some chicks start out with these feathers and lose them just before fledging the nestbox, ...some lose them just after leaving the nestbox. Some says its a virus and some say its inherited. I often find its anutritional imbalance.

Some of these chicks regrow their feathers a few weeks down the track and others never do.

In the meantime give him some ladders to make his life easier and keep him where he wont hurt himself, but still with his nest mates......and wait and see if he is a lucky one who's feathers grow back

 

Edited May 20, 200817 yr by KAZ

Sounds like a french moult from me too... hope it gets better for you.

And welcome to the forum By The Way. Sorry you joined under such bad reasons.

Hi and welcome to this wonderful forum. I'm sorry to hear about your little mate. I do hope he is one of the lucky once. I hope you stick around and get to know all of 'us' friendly members here. Please keep us updated on your chick.

thank you for the fast replies. If they dont grow back can he still live a good life? I will look after him well but hope he isnt suffering. i bring him inside now at night away from the others just cause i dont like him on the ground at night time. he is getting very adventurous with the ladders but always tries to fly from the top. Crash and then up the ladder again and crashes. He is determined to fly.

I have french moult budgies in my aviary. They have ladders from ground up to high perches and they have branches from floor to top half of aviary and they manage very well. He may grow his feathers back at some point. Some of my recent ones have.

 

PS mine that jump from up high seem to cope. One I call BOMBER due to her habit of taking flying leaps from perches 4 feet up to the ground. They tend to glide a little.

Hello and welcome

French moulters can make lovely pets too

Hi, welcome to the forum

l would love to see pictures of your flock.

Welcome Stu, others have told you the reasons why he has lost his feathers, a good percentage of them grow there feathers back in a few weeks, others take longer, some never, but in my experience most recover. Don’t worry about the trying to fly thing, birds just by nature want to fly & as you suggest he wonders why he can’t as all the others can. Don’t worry they never seem to hurt themselves, I have some & they always just “bomb” try to fly down to the ground & I have never had one injure itself yet.

When I was a child (some years ago!!) my parents bred budgies and we had two french moulters. They were adorable and we loved them. One was a Lutino baby, we called him "sauerkraut" because of his scruffy yellow coat. He became our favourite baby, he was so ugly but looked so cute running around and was very agile climbing up the wires to the perches. I think what they lack in feathers they seem to make up in personality. We all loved "sauerkraut"! He didnt live as long as the average budgies do but he had a great little life and seemed totally happy!!