Gouldian finches stuck in moult

[Fahadmajeed]

Hi folks,

I got 3 gouldian finches each of them are approx 6-7 months old. They seem to be stuck in moult.
I am giving them high quality seed of versele laaga. Egg food, calcivit and D3 in liquid form. Also give them probiotics once a week.
Though i offer them fruits and vegs but they don't seem to eat or like that. Also provide grit and sand in one container inside cage.

Just uploaded their youtube video here. https://youtu.be/ycM2oCqbtAk

Doesn't seem to help. What can i do to make their feathers and color appear normal and of good quality?

Thanks.

[BrettB]

I would not call a 6-7 month old bird "stuck in the moult".
In Australia all of the Gouldians are currently moulting and most will be finished by mid December.
My birds are bred in Feb - April, so are 8-10 months old before they finish.
Birds bred later may not complete the moult and often will not attain full adult plumage till the next years moult.
I am uncertain as to when the Gouldians moult in Finland, how old were your birds at this time ?

Cheers
Brett

[Fahadmajeed]

Hi BrettB,

These birds were bred in end of March till start of April. The blue hen in the same video is sister of these chicks or was in the same clutch. Red head male is their father. You are right that we might not call them stuck in moult. And you are also right that this was the last clutch of the breeding pair. So we can say these were bed later. But how can i improve their feather quality and color? they are also a bit of light-weight. Is there anything i can do?
Thanks

[finchbreeder]

Do you give them green seeding grasses? Never met a gouldian that does not love that. And it is an excellent tempter food for young birds to encourage them to eat. Good luck.
LML

[Fahadmajeed]

@finchbreeder, i tried my best but could not find green seeding grasses in Finland. Not sure how can i get them. I will try

[vettepilot_6]

Soaked seed works as well...

[Shane Gowland]

If they were bred in March, I would expect them to be moulting about now. With a climate and seasonal cycle radically different in Finland to their native Australia, the moult is probably quite different to what we experience too.

[Fahadmajeed]

@ShaneGowland, Yes i saw couple of needles on top of one chick. In that case, what should i provide them in diet?

[BrettB]

I suspect the blue hen is from the previous clutch, so 8-10 weeks older than the other birds.
That will make a big difference to feather development and even size of the birds.
I am interested to know when the father went through the moult as he has good feather quality and excellent colour.
All of my adult birds are moulting currently and my parents look a bit ragged by the end of the breeding season.

Are far as improving feather quality and colour in your chicks, it comes down to genetics and good nutrition.
As mentioned, making your own soaked seed is easy and significantly increases the nutrition of the seed. You can easily add a vitamin supplement to the soaked seed and I would give supplemental Vit D in Finland as the amount of sunshine is much less than Australia.

Cheers
Brett

[Fahadmajeed]

@BrettB,
In last year breeding season, pair tried many clutches. Then i gave them a break of 2 months. As you said, parents were ragged by the end of season. Hen almost lost all her feathers. But during rest period, she regained her feathers and health. Then i placed box again in the cage.
father went through moult the same time. If i remember the month was June/July.
As far as i remember, blue hen belongs to same clutch as these chicks but you might be right as well.
I made soaked seeds and offered them, no one ate. It is really strange with my birds that they don't eat it at all. I'll keep offering them though.
So later clutch's chicks are usually weak? That brings me to another question that how often we should let gouldians breed in a year?