graypes
Songster
- Jun 19, 2020
- 400
- 489
- 161
Hi! Today while out in the run, I noticed my 1.5 year old runner drake take out two of his wing feathers, both secondaries. He and his mate went through their hard molts back in august when the mate was sick and he kept her company in her little isolation quarters ( xxxxlarge dog crate with blanket over top, as prescribed by doc). Bc of the light they did their molts early and I thought that was that. After the wings, I reintroduced them to the normal daylight schedule and they have been going through one LOOOOOONG soft feather molt ever since. For the drake, it seems like his head, neck, and long side-of-belly feathers are constantly molting.
They have lights on timer in their coop and get 12 hours daylight currently. Mate hasn't resumed laying since august. It has gotten colder here, so not sure if that could have induced a second hard molt. But that worries me that he could be going through the hard molt as temperatures start to dance around freezing in the next couple weeks (0ºC/32ºF)
Any advice on how to get my drakes feathers sorted for winter?? Two hard molts in 3-4 months seems really stressful for his tiny lil body!
They have lights on timer in their coop and get 12 hours daylight currently. Mate hasn't resumed laying since august. It has gotten colder here, so not sure if that could have induced a second hard molt. But that worries me that he could be going through the hard molt as temperatures start to dance around freezing in the next couple weeks (0ºC/32ºF)
Any advice on how to get my drakes feathers sorted for winter?? Two hard molts in 3-4 months seems really stressful for his tiny lil body!