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Grey feathers getting darker/lighter in a normal grey?

11K views 8 replies 8 participants last post by  Mr Peepers  
#1 ·
With Caddy's first big molt currently happening, I've noticed that he's very patchy. Some of his feathers are lighter than the others around his body in no particular pattern. I'm not sure if he's getting lighter or darker, but he's changing color. Is this normal for a first molt? Is it a genetic thing? Could it be related to his malnourishment as a chick?

Is it something I should be worried about?

I'll see if I can get some pictures that show the change after work, but I'm not sure it'll show up at all in a picture.
 
#3 ·
Its perfectly normal...the older feathers will be darker than the newer feathers so he'll look patchy till all his feathers match.
 
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#4 ·
There could be several reasons for it including:

1. The older feathers have faded and the new ones look darker
2. A change in diet has an effect on the color of new feathers. A better diet will produce better-looking feathers
3. Males produce more melanin when they mature which produces darker feathers than they had as juveniles. This is also the reason they lose their juvenile markings like rump stripes - the melanin has filled in the areas that were previously yellow/white. It doesn't do this on the face obviously.
 
#7 ·
Hi guys
A quick question, when a young male cockatiel gets fully gray and his head fully yellow? In what age? my cockatiel is 1 years old and is still slowly replacing new darker gray feathers. Is it something bad in his diet or it's just normal?
Nooo, nothing wrong in the diet. A young tiel is almost impossible to sex by any breeder. I can guarantee you that your boy is actually a girl. Don't worry, I've had a white girl who was an amazing talker, so talking is no indicator. Then she proceeded to lay 12 eggs right next to where I sit on my couch and nowhere else. Her love for her owner. My 4th tame tiel.

You are coming into summer where I am going into winter in Aussie where these beautiful, smart birds originate. Proud to say they are the 3rd smartest parrots in the world out of our 51 natural parrots.

My crazy, widely verbal 18 month old boy still comes to mate on the back of my hand at least every second day when he should be settling down. Can't interfere with his process 😄
 
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