Hello! My female finch has lost her feathers around her bum and up the right side over her thigh. The skin looks a little bumpy but not overly irritated. She is a consistent egg layer whether there is a comfortable spot to lay or not, would this be relevant?
Hi Annabel,
Yes, this is very likely related to her egg laying. It’s very bad for her health for her to continue to lay eggs. In the wild, they only lay during breeding season and at most, they might have two clutches per year. She may be starting to suffer from discomfort due to the excessive egg laying and this is why she is plucking out her feathers in that area. I would take her to an Avian Vet and discuss a hormone injection or implant to stop her from laying more eggs. She can end up dying from excessive egg laying. If you have made changes in her cage and environment to discourage egg laying, and she is still doing this, then she needs to be seen by a Vet. It is important that you do not give her a nest or anything she can sit in to lay eggs. If she is using a food cup, get some smaller cups. You can try limiting her light to 8-10 hours per day, by covering her cage early each evening. You can also try putting her cage in a busy room and move it around the room every few days. It can make a hen stop if they feel like their environment isn’t stable. But she cannot keep laying eggs, and it sounds like she is already suffering from it. In her recent webinar, Dr. Lamb discusses egg laying and shows the entire process. She also answers a question about Zebra finches laying too much, so you may want to view the webinar. I’ll provide the link.
Thank you for asking Lafeber,
Brenda
