Aussie Finch Forum

Hi
I had 4 jouvenile gouldians fledge within 2 days of each other late October last year which makes them nearly 4 months old.They are my first batch of babies and I was just wondering why they are in such different stages of moulting. One has nearly all his adult feathers and I can see he is going to be a red headed male, the next 2 are probably half way there but the 4th still has all his green baby feathers. He looks the same as he did 4 months ago. I am curious as to why they are so different.

You hit the nail on the head yourself "They are different" it's a natural thing that they wont all moult at the same time. Some early bred birds won't colour up till the following December have also heard of uncoloured birds breeding.

I found a lot has to do with the colour of the young too, RH seem the first to sing, so are easiest to sex earlier but take longer to show the colour, BH seems to colour up the quickest. YH get a couple of head feathers but seem to take the longest to colour up to the point of being able to tell cock from hen.

Di, I believe the speed of their colouring up is more heretitary than based on head colour. I have a pair of yellow heads that all of their offspring are in full colour within 2 months of leaving the nest and then some of my black heads didn't finish their moult until well into december.

Gouldians bred in spring will quite often not moult completely until the following spring, which is why I now limit my breeding to late summer/autumn.

Thanks for your replies. I am really new to having an aviary so there are lots of things I don't know. As my aviary is a colony and very close to nature, I can't be completely sure of who the parents are. I do know that the red headed male fed the babies and taught them how to fly from the nesting box to the branches and back again, and all of my females have black heads, so I found it really odd that what I thought were 4 jouveniles all from the same parents, could moult at such different stages. I have a lot to learn and am sure this forum will be a great help.

tbird, That was your 5th post there is more of the forum open to you now. Buzz