Never breed birds that have a history of French molt.
French molt is a mysterious condition that mainly affects young budgerigars. This condition is categorized by abnormal feathering and was called "French molt" because the offspring of budgerigars that were sent from France to Germany first suffered from it. French molt typically occurs in young birds of 5 to 6 weeks of age. These juveniles molt excessively, and their tail and wing feathers break once they begin to fly. Affected budgerigars are termed "creepers" or "runners," because they can not fly. A virus is responsible for this condition, but you can take certain precautions to lessen its occurrence.
Instructions
1. Select your breeding stock from birds that do not have a history of this condition. Certain birds recover from the condition between 6 and 8 months of age, and at this point, appear to be normal. Do not use these birds in your breeding program.
2. Choose physically healthy birds for your breeding program. Do not select individual birds for physical attributes, such as color or markings, at the expense of their health. Only completely healthy birds should be allowed to breed.
3. Take your breeding birds to a veterinarian for a health check before breeding them. Have the birds vaccinated against polyomavirus, which is the virus responsible for French molt.
4. Disinfect all aviaries and breeding boxes thoroughly, and maintain the highest level of hygiene possible. Store food in clean, sealed containers and ensure that the containers are not exposed to pests or vermin.
5. Separate breeding pairs, if necessary, to prevent over breeding in any one season. It is best practice to limit your breeding pairs to two clutches per year.
6. Separate pairs that attempt to breed out of season and do not use artificial lights to encourage breeding during out of season periods.
7. Ensure that your breeding pairs are not in any way stressed by providing large cages, and ensuring that the birds have sufficient shelter from poor weather and that they are not exposed to other disturbances, such as excessive noise and movement from outside the aviary.
8. Ensure that the breeding birds have a well-balanced, high-quality commercial parakeet diet, which is supplemented with vegetables and fruit. Supply a multivitamin supplement.
9. Pull out all the loose and abnormal feathers on youngsters that exhibit the condition to stimulate the replacement of new and hopefully, healthy feathers.
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