Aussie Finch Forum

so this is the uber mangey looking strawb cock i bought for $30. it was sympathy buy. i have little doubt he's more than a few years old. but it was also out of sympathy for a spare cock cordon i had. both birds now have company (and hopefully will singe their little hearts out in my loungroom!).

plus $30 for a strawberry cock is a decent gamble i reckon.

anyhow. he's totally bald on the top of his head and rear of his neck. and whilst i suspect there may be a multitude of reasons for this, stress, age, lice, even molting perhaps? (though somehow i doubt birds go completely bald during a molt!)

currently he's in a box (which seems never good for feather condition in my opinion, but its freezing outside and he's featherless and in quarantine anyway.

anyhow, since i've only owned birds a few months and a strawberry less than a week - i figured i'd like to hear more from some more experienced members.

any hypothesis on why he's bald?

AND

what can i do to aid his recovery?

I've got a hen Gouldian in a similar condition and has been that way for a year. I read somewhere on a site today that the problem is due to inadequate iodine in the diet. That no other birds she co habits with suffer is odd but perhaps individuals vary in thier requirements and or are resistant to the presence of it in their diet. My hen I might say has a nice black beak and two eligable batchelors to court her but either she's sterile or just too ugly. I might try the iodine thing since it's molting season in the Philippines at teh moment and see what happens. I hope your strawb gets his feathers back

Youve just got to love a bird that looks like that!

with gouldians it happens,stress,bactreia infection,bad genectics(stress).is the normal cause.maybe it happens to stwarbs aswell.

I have a gouldian hen that has always looked a little scruffy compared to the other hens but the feather loss around her eyes is very noticable, hence her nickname of Bandit.

Looks like I will be trying some iodine, she is sitting on her 3rd clutch this season at the moment, will feeding iodine now be a good idea, I have babies eggs and young birds

alot of vitamin/mineral mixes have iodine in it.even them calcium mixes.thats how mine get it.maybe you are already giving them it ?

I give them Calcigrit couldnt see iodine on the contents label.
Just got some Hi energy biscuit, label says
Protein 8%
Fat 5%
Fibre 1%
Salt 1%
Energy 4260/cal

Contains commercially produced biscuit, vitamin/mineral premix, whole egg powder

iron eh?

thanks for the tips guys. i've decided to buy him a hen at the weekend. (plus maybe another pair!)