[12 Steps to Success Intro]
 [Step 1: January]  [Step 2: February]  [Step 3: March]  [Step 4: April]  [Step 5: May]
 [Step 6: June]  [Step 7: July]  [Step 8: August]  [Step 9: September]  [Step 10: October]
 [Step 11: November]  [Step 12: December]

Step 3: March – Introduction of F Liquid Feather-Aid to the Regiment
By Gary & Barbara Solomon, Frisky Finches - Copyright 2006

During the first week of March through the end of May we introduce a special blend of Vetafarm “Feather Aid”, which helps jump start the birds molting process. This product can be mixed directly with our Frisky Finches feather glow liquid vitamins with iodine and liquid calcium gluconate. It has a variety of additional vitamins, amino acids, trace elements such as Copper, Cobalt, Magnesium, Zinc and some other important minerals and trace elements which will force the birds to start the molting process.

The mixture ratio is 1 tablespoon of feather aid per gallon of water mixed in with the feather glow & calcium gluconate. Continue using this product until the end of May.

The reason for introducing the feather aid is to help get the birds molting finalized or finished prior to putting your birds together for breeding. If your birds are not finished with the molt when you put them together, it will stall the breeding process until they have finished molting. Most Gouldians will not breed while they are molting, especially the hens. Molting and breeding at the same time can contribute to egg binding in the hens, especially if they are not prepared with the proper nutrients in advance. This is why most hens will try to avoid breeding until they are ready; they seem to know this…

It usually takes 4 to 6 weeks for most Gouldians to molt so you want to introduce feather aid early to finalize your birds molting and improve your breeding results, plus this helps prevent them from molting in the middle of the breeding season.

If you pair your birds together before they have ample nutrients and one of the males gets a little to eager and breeds with an unwilling hen that is not ready, this could cause her egg binding problems when the eggs start to develop within her.

If this happens the hens will usually die from a miscarriage in a day or two. About all you can do is remove her from the cage and put a few drops of warm mineral oil inside the vent area with an eye dropper to help lubricate the egg passage. If she survives, removing her is a good idea until she has time to replenish herself with the proper nutrients for producing eggs or it will probably happen to her again. More than likely the problem is a calcium deficiency.

We continue use of the feather aid through the birds molting process until the end of April along with the other liquid supplements.

Disclaimer: The author of this website is not a licensed veterinarian. The information and advise contained within is only offered as a basic introduction to the Gouldian Finch and comes from over 10 years personal experience breeding this species. Our success is also attributed to 30 years of accumulated avian knowledge breeding various other bird species, veterinary advise, research and discussions with other professional breeders.

This article is copyrighted 2006 for Frisky Finches and is not meant to be reprinted, replicated, or republished without our expressed written permission. Thank you.