This page will be up while Glen is going through his moult, to answer some questions you may have about the moult. Please post questions as comments and I will do my best to answer them, and add them on.
What is the moult?
The moult is where birds drop feathers and grow new ones. It is the same as how a cat or dog moults their winter coat for summer coat.
Why do they need to moult?
If birds did not moult they would still have old feathers that could be damaged or missing.
When do birds moult?
Generally falconers moult their birds through the summer when the hunting season is closed. The heat and longer daylight hours of summer also help with new feather growth.
How do they moult?
Normally feathers are dropped from wings and tail in pairs, one from the left and one from the right. When the new feather is 3/4 grown the next pair will fall out, and so on and so on. Body feathers will fall more randomly with new ones replacing old ones.
Hi
ReplyDeleteMight sound a bit of a daft question but when will I know when my bird is finished he's moult