Tess is a tan female about two and a half years old. So why are her feathers turning white?
Where her hands or fingers would be, the wing feathers are a solid white now. They didn't used to be. She's getting paler other places too. It looks like premature gray.
About the time I noticed this paleness coming on, she got a little brown spot on each side of her beak. It looked like she'd been eating chocolate and needed to lick her lips. But it was a mark that didn't wash off. I started dosing her with Systemajuv and VitaPak and ProBac to see if she needed a little nutritional boost to keep her color and health in full bloom. The brown spots are about gone, but she's still whitening.
The white is so persistent, I began to wonder if she'd always been that way. No. Tess and her sister Bess were identical tan birds born here. We couldn't tell them apart. So this is new. I also bought a plant light and put it in the lamp beside the cages in case she needed good light. She bathes in the glow. We'll see what happens.
Her mate has started picking her back feathers again, much to her annoyance. I may have to put him in a separate cage for a couple weeks again. It stopped him last time. She regrew her feathers and looked and felt great, so I brought him back and watched him, and he was good for months. If she's not feeling her best, he's taking the opportunity to hassle her. Not nice.
Tess is my little egg-laying machine. I keep telling her she doesn't need to lay so many. Maybe she's wearing herself out. She doesn't listen, just keeps popping them out. It's another reason why I started dosing her with extra nutrients. I'm going to get some trace minerals and see if that helps her. I hope she doesn't take it as a signal to lay even more eggs!
