Like mammals we are covered with hair, the birds are covered with feathers that, in addition to protecting them from external agents, give them heat and are essential to lift the flight and stay in the air. For our birds to maintain a beautiful and shiny plumage, it is very important that we provide them with a good diet, we control that they are in good health and that they get enough rest. This is especially important when they are in moulting time if we want the change to take place successfully.
Feather moulting Process
It should be taken into account that the moulting season of Birds is a time of great physiological stress for them, because during the process they lose a large percentage of the weight of their body due to the renovation of all plumage, having much to do at this time the hours of Lu The solar Z it receives and the temperature at which the atmosphere is. You should know that the feathers, like the hair of mammals, are biologically dead structures, so they do not require blood circulation. But, because of this, they cannot regenerate themselves, so the birds must replace them with new ones once a year.
The moulting of plumage starts when the climatic conditions are favorable, that is to say, in summer. Between the months of June and October. In this season of the year the days are longer and the levels of heat and humidity are higher. The birds, throughout the history of evolution, have managed to adapt their metabolism so that this process does not require so many requirements, so that it is easier to do it properly at this time.
The process is taking place in different stages in which the feathers are falling until reaching the last phase, the most critical, when the massive fall of the coverts, ie the feathers that are responsible for protecting and isolating.
Keys to take care of your bird
The feathers are composed mainly of collagen and have a great resistance and flexibility with a minimum weight. For the entire moulting process to take place correctly, it is important that you consider some issues and that you provide your bird with everything you need.
- It is obvious that an adequate diet at this stage is essential to make the bird's plumage beautiful, soft and flexible, and can be kept in perfect condition until next year. In our online store for birds you will find a multitude of special products for this time. In this sense, you should know that the protein load is fundamental, because at this time the birds must synthesize large amounts of collagen. Therefore, the ideal is to add protein-rich grains to your diet. Amino acids are the constituents of proteins and in the time of molt the most important is lysine. But it is also important that your birds receive the sufficient amount of minerals, which are responsible for the development of the molecular structure of the pen, which will also help to facilitate the digestion of food.
- Of course, it is essential that our birds are in good health to prevent the lowering of the levels of defenses that occur when they are more stressed end up causing an infection. If the conditions of health and hygiene are adequate, the molt will be produced in a successful way and we will see how the feathers are constantly growing outward, where they are drying and maturing.
- To prevent the feathers from drying too quickly, it is very important that the room is well ventilated and that the humidity is adequate. If the ventilation is poor, the urea eliminated in the feces will end up fermenting and increasing the degree of discomfort of the bird and, worse, reducing its appetite. It is also not advisable to have excessive sunbathing. You should take the sun to get the vitamin D needed to perform calcium synthesis, key during moulting, but if it is excessive, the plumage will lose its luster. If you sunbathe the right time, the fibers will moisten and get elasticity.
- Finally, remember to wash your bird frequently so that the skin stays elastic and the feather plucks without difficulty. Otherwise, a cyst may occur from the fact that the pen grows below the skin.
