Hi,

 

I have a budgie who is about 4-5 months old and can't fly. Is there anything else it could be besides french molt? He does have poor wing and tail feathers.

 

Also if it is french molt is it a genetic disease or can it be caught by birds in the same cage? He's currently in a cage with a young female who I planned on breeding him with in the future but if it is french molt this would be inherited by any offspring would it not? If so I won't breed from him and instead get him a male companion to keep him company.

 

French Moult is a virus and is very infectious but it mainly affects chicks that are still in the nest (they catch it from the mother) or when they are newly fledged and come into contact through other chicks.

I have had many freench moult chicks and adults in with others and the other didnt get it.

Is it my imagination or does "he" have a lot of white on his cere ? If so it means female not male.

I have had many freench moult chicks and adults in with others and the other didnt get it.

Is it my imagination or does "he" have a lot of white on his cere ? If so it means female not male.

 

From what I can remember the cere is an even pink throughout ... but I'm still new at sexing budgies, I can only tell the difference some of the time. I was told it was a male when I bought him at the bird shop and so far they've been correct with the other budgies who's ceres have matured. But I suppose it doesn't really matter one way or the other, he's still so cute and he has a lovely personality!

 

Thankyou both for your answers

can i ask a question while this subjects brought up

what contributes to the virus being caught and in breeding a french molt bird are you infact infecting the cock or hen being bred with and all the chicks born even if signs do not show and how do you stop it running through your flock if you do happen to be infact unlucky enough to get this condition in your nests

how do you deal with it

their are so many discussions about it but not how to tackle the problem

can i ask a question while this subjects brought up

what contributes to the virus being caught and in breeding a french molt bird are you infact infecting the cock or hen being bred with and all the chicks born even if signs do not show and how do you stop it running through your flock if you do happen to be infact unlucky enough to get this condition in your nests

how do you deal with it

their are so many discussions about it but not how to tackle the problem

We have masses of previous topics on this on BBC.

can i ask a question while this subjects brought up

what contributes to the virus being caught and in breeding a french molt bird are you infact infecting the cock or hen being bred with and all the chicks born even if signs do not show and how do you stop it running through your flock if you do happen to be infact unlucky enough to get this condition in your nests

how do you deal with it

their are so many discussions about it but not how to tackle the problem

At the end of last year's breeding season I had 3 nests affected by french moult, I don't know what caused it but at the time there was talk of fodder mites being a contributing factor and I had a fair number of those flying around.

 

This year I changed how I manage deep litter to cleaning it all out after every round and have zapped any fodder mites on sight.

 

However, 2 1/2 months ago I used one of the hens that had had a french moult nest last year and unfortunately one chick was so badly affected I sent it to God (and soon after the hen in question). To add to my woes I moved the other nest chicks around to other nests before realising what was happening and as a result a further 5 chicks were affected and dropped their flights and tail feathers in the kindie cage. And then one or two followed suit and so on ....

 

Currently I have 15 chicks that are affected.

 

But there is a silver lining! Not long ago Gary Armstrong posted on the MBC website that administering doxycicline to thus affected chicks mitigated the effcts of FM by building their immune system. So I started giving the affected chicks a course of doxy and slowly but surely these little chicks are recovering. The ones that were infected over the past month are completely or almost completely fine again while the five infected 2 months ago .... well I'm not sure if they will come good or not.

 

No I would never breed with a French Moulter, they have their own cage outside, and if I identify another carrier parent they are going to God before they can flap their wings. :laughter:

yeah I have heard the only real way to stop french moult heading through your nests of chicks is to stop breeding completely to break the cycle of the virus. In saying that, people do breed with french moult recoverees, apparently if they grow their flights back they are then immune to the virus and pass on that immunity to their offspring.

 

To be fair though, very little is actually known about the virus I believe. Maybe one day someone will research it and find a cure

looks like i may just be having my first batch of fm then

4 out of the five doms chicks have lost flights thing is they have a lot of tail feathers like lives feather dusters and im a bit confussed about whats going on

 

well i wont be breeding with the mother of the babys again anyhow this year

and im sure the chicks got viris off the feeded mother before being put baby with their foster mum so and mum just hatch chicks so i will see if they become afected or not as their is no need to foster as she is a good mum

as for the feeder mum she is defenently holding something as that was dear showpains mum and he was defenently diffrent although never lost flights his feather mass was enormuse for pet also with the extra tail feathers so.....she pet type so will give away as caged pet

 

my albino does not seem afected nor does the opaline dom hen but im not sure if i should keep them for breeding due to this but if the stay fine i may keep just cause they my first real show breed birds nice way to enter into showing

all birds are going to be seperated for a while all cages cleaned and all chicks free to good home as i can not kill them specially my violet dom

so if anyone is interested in pet budgie pm me and we can talk

 

if anyone has advice for me please freely pm me with it as i really bit lost vet didnt say much said im doing all i can

said its only mild so they will recover

 

i have no moths no lice no nothing vet cheacked my flock only other week

and their rezults come back 100 percent perfict health so he cant explain

all i can think of is i had to move birds due to noisey nextdoor person working in shed late at night

frightning birds and i think that the bird room droped tem to quickly at night and condensated

i will never know .....