Gouldians getting their colours

[Daviese]

Hi all
I am pretty new to breeding and have a few questions about Gouldians. I have 2 pair of Gouldians in my mixed aviary- 1 pair blackhead normals and 1 pair red heads. In December 2018 to jan 2019 they both produced 2 healthy clutches of 5-6 babies. It is now October 2019 and the babies still don’t have all their colours. In fact, they are a pretty motley looking crew. Although my adult males look amazing, both adult females heads are almost completely bald and a few of the babies have some bald patches too. I have read this could be an iodine deficiency but can’t quite understand why only the females with babies are effected.( I have a single female in the aviary who didn’t breed and she looks great) the babies are showing some signs of colour but it seems to be extremely slow. I feed egg food 3-4 times a week, offer egg shells, shell grit, cuttlebone, charcoal, daily greens and fresh veggies, mealies and seed. I have recently put a vitamin supplement containing iodine in their water and have been mixing “feather fast” with their soft food. I treatfor mites and worms regularly. Am I missing something or do I just need to be patient? I am just concerned I will have an aviary full of birds that haven’t coloured up and when the new lot of babies come this season the aviary will be over crowded.

[finchbreeder]

None of my Gouldians looks wonderful at the moment. All the adults in various stages of moulting. Females who breed heavily have the most drain on their bodies and tend to look the worst, with everything you are supplying, once they get through the moult they should get back to looking great. Barely a single coloured feather on a young one here. The only feathers are a few black ones under a chin or two. Be patient. Your ugly ducklings will soon turn into beautiful Gouldians. Suggest you build or buy an extra holding avairy and put the young uncoloured in that till they colour.
LML

[Daviese]

Thanks finchbreeder.
Good to hear.