Canary Health: My hen has not grown all of her feathers back.

by Glenda Schroyer
(Broken Arrow, OK)

Canary health and missing feathers:

I have a male and female canaries. I have a total of 7 and at least 3 sing their heads off. I have 2 in the same cage and I believe they are both hens.

But I have a hen that I got with her mate and she is having a hard time growing her feathers back. I believe she wants to lay eggs, oh one of the hens with 2 males has laid 4 eggs. Every time I try and move one of the males they all start chirping like crazy.

These canaries mean the world to me due to the original owners passed away and their family gave me them.

I wish I knew what to do about the hen whose feathers are very slowly growing back.

I feed Quiko canary food and vegetables every other day like spinach, kale and broccoli and canary treats. Alone all the bird seed they could ever want.

I hope I am doing something right. Please let me if their is anything I can do.

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DARREN'S RESPONSE
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There are several things that could cause bald spots in canaries. Bald spots are not normal even during the annual molt.

Some things to be aware of are...

--Stress--Overcrowding with other birds or a cage that’s too small.

--Another bird is plucking his feathers.

--Mites--Treat with mite treatment.


--Excess scratching or rubbing due to mites or dry skin.

--Prolonged or out-of-season molt.

--Respiratory Illness

--Extreme Temperatures or Temperature Fluctuations

AND a few others...

I hope one of these items rings a bell for you and you can do something to help your canary. Also, keep in mind that canaries grow most of their feathers during the molt. So, even if she's perfectly healthy, her feathers may not grow in until the next molt.