Balding

Introduction

Balding can be observed in many birds bred in captivity, but is not exclusive to captive bred birds. Some birds will never experience balding, whereas others may be prone to it. There are many factors to take into account when you discover one of your birds is balding, the cause is not always obvious. Obviously, we can not give you every reason on this page, but we can do our best to give some insights as to possible causes & solutions. Almost on a daily basis, I see posts referring to balding with their pet birds on social media, not always is a solution found.

Sudden Balding

To see that your bird has balding all of a sudden usually means something has changed. It can depend on where the balding has appeared, such as on the back of the neck, abdomen, back, wing feathers... Usually when we see balding, we think of pecking from another bird, but what if the bird was housed alone with nobody else to peck at it? Cases like that are not un-heard of.

Usually in the scenario like above, I would be thinking on the lines of a predator, such as a mouse, rat, cat, snake, lizard... Maybe there was no predator, it could be that the bird was super stressed and all of a sudden started self pecking. A bird with a genetic issue, or an underlying issue could spontansously start balding for what appears to be no reason at all.

Birds kept on a poor nutritional diet or/and deprived of minerals may all of a sudden start balding as their bodies become depleated of nutrition. Birds require a lot of nutrition and minerals as they will burn it off very fast. You would expect a bird who was deprived of a nutritional diet for a long period of time to start balding gradually (if it was going to bald at all), but it usually happens like a flick of a switch.

Balding vs Moulting

Although balding and moulting both involve losing feathers, they are not the same at all, not even close. Balding will usually involved visually seeing bald patches where you can see the skin. Moulting is a more bodily controlled form of losing feathers with some kind of order to it. There is almost rarely any signs of balding when the bird moults unless the bird was already bald prior to moulting.

The moult usually involves the removal of old or damaged feathers so new ones can replace them. Every year birds moult out old spring/summer feathers only to replace them with autum/winter feathers much like someone changing their coat to match the weather. Some birds moult several times a year depending on the species.

Balding has nothing to do with replacing feathers, it means feathers were pulled out, damaged in some way, failed to grow in the first place or eaten. When balding occurs, it always means something is wrong.

Dangers of Balding

The seriousness of balding really depends on the reason for it. The balding itself is not dangerous at all, but the cause might be. Birds with balding on the wings where many flight feathers may be missing would likely pose a life and death threat, because the loss of feathers will impact their flight ability. Bald patches offer poor insulation against the cold, lacks protection from parasites, lacks protection from the hot sun.

In captive bred birds, balding should be addressed right away to find the root cause especially during the colder months, where they will struggle to conserve body heat. If there is a parasite infestation, or a skin infection, it could spread rapidly to other birds.

Hyperkeratosis, which is a skin disease caused by a lack of vitamin A, can easily cause balding anywhere on the body. Burrowing mites, feather lice are also likely culprits and should be checked for on a regular basis.

Diet vs Balding

What your birds consume will have a huge impact on the condition of their skin, as well as their feathers. Birds living on a poor diet will often have poor plumage, bald patches, crusty skin, dull looking feathers, may scratch a lot, and generally look tatty. Some birds may go as far as not looking very well at all, and even look sick.

What ever species of birds you have, it is always best to fully understand what they would normally eat in the wild. Understanding the bird's diet, and providing all that they require for a healthy life will grately improve their quality of life, make them look better, fix many health issues, also making them feel a whole lot better.

Throughout the site I talk about diet, nutrition and supplements, but it is for a good reason. Very often I see people keeping birds on the wrong diet, keeping them on seed alone, never providing any minerals, never supplementing with any liquid calcium and never offering any form of supplemental vitamins in their water.

Parasites & Lice

The presence of parasites or lice are usually visual, you will often see your birds scratching frequently. As the bird scratches the same spot over and over, feathers will eventually fall out, causing bald spots. Parasites come in many forms, such as, worms, feather eating lice, burrowing mites, skin lice, ticks to name a few.

Whilst these are all easy to treat, they can cause a lot of problems for the bird until they have been treated. Birds infested with lice or some other parasite may not sing, some will sit, and look exhausted with drooped feathers.

As the parasites multiply, so does the problem. When ever I find a parasite problem with my birds, the first medications I always use is Moxidectin and Ivermectin together. If it is just feather lice then I would use Avian Liquidator which is made by VetaFarm (works instantly). Parasites can really mess up your birds if not caught in time, so please check for parasites often.

Common Causes

Injury, parasites & lice (as mentioned above), skin disease, genetic problems, diet, lack of natural daylight, pecking from other birds, self pecking are some of the common causes of balding in birds. It is important to note, it is common for birds to pluck their own down feathers out while incubating eggs, or sitting on young chicks to manage heat regulation better.

Moulting may cause bolding too especially if there are hormonal imbalances in play. Birds that were bred out of season may begin to moult at the wrong time of year, which in turn may cause a lot of stress for the bird adding to further feather loss.

With wild birds, I find that balding is usually the result of parasites, lice or injury. Age can also play a huge factor too, birds in their senior can exhibit balding, this is normal, and nothing really to worry about.

Stress is often a common factor where balding is concerned, especially for hens.

Inbred (same blood line) birds can have a life-long issue with balding, so too can cross-bred birds (inter species).

Finding the Cause

Diagnosing the cause of balding is not always as strait forward.as it may seem, though sometimes it is pretty obvious. Carefully observing the bird for some time can help identify where the problem is. Once all options are exhausted, an Avian Vet should be consulted.

Treatments and Preventatives

Treatments will highly depend on the cause of balding, but not all balding can be treated. I have always found that providing plenty of minerals, calcium and vitamins always helps with fast and strong feather growth followed by plenty of direct sunlight.

Good Husbandry

Dirty cages make great homes for parasites such as mites or lice. Regular sterilization is recommended. Perches should be replaced periodically and nesting boxes cleaned often.

Age vs Balding

Birds in their senior often exhibit balding to some degree, or may have tatty looking plumage. This is perfectly normal and usually age related.