I am writing about molting today, because my husbands african grey and my goffin cockatoo are both molting at the moment and if you have not seen a fairly big molt you may get worried thinking that your bird is plucking his feathers.
All birds preen more when molting. Molting is quite hard work for a bird and they should be given more protein foods, like hard boiled eggs and boiled chicken. They also should be given ample time to rest, Let them take quiet naps and let them go to bed earlier too.
Molting happens once or twice a year — and the first you notice is lots of little feathers all over the bottom of their cage but no bald patches on your bird. Then your bird may become cranky!! Dont panic! it is quite natural for a bird to molt. They may want to play less but not all get cranky — my husbands grey is not cranky but my goffin is spending more time in her cage, playing quietly, she would get cranky if she was out.
A large molt can take from a few weeks to a few months. Bathing your bird during this time, will help them greatly. The new feathers growing are encased in a sheath and the bird will remove it for themselves, but bathing makes the sheaths easier to get of.Your bird may ask for more scratching during a molt because it is itchy.
Watch your bird carefully and respect his needs during a molt — if he wants to play less, dont force him to play — if he wants to sleep, let him sleep. If he gets cranky remember this too shall pass !
Do what you can for your bird, feed him the right foods, bath him more regularly, let him rest and your bird will take care of the rest.
I hope this is helpful, until next time………..