Normal Amazon feathering?

[Empath]

This is Silas, he's probably close to a year old, i've had him since early this year.
he's a yellow fronted. its currently winter in Australia and i've noticed his chest feathers seeming to have more grey than before. is this normal? i compared it to pics i have of him 6 months ago and its definately more grey

as you can see from the pics its patchy. diet is mainly sprouted seeds, chinese vegetables, grapes and apple. behaviour is normal so i dont think theres an illness

 

[JerseyWendy]

Welcome to the forum Empath and Silas.

Is Silas currently going through a moult? How often does he get a bath? Most Amazons LOVE their baths, and should get a good soaking at least once a week.

Is it possible to vary his diet some more? If you check out THIS section, there are lots of recipes and dietary information
Parrot Food, Recipes and Diet - Parrot Forum - Parrot Owner's Community

 

[Empath]

He doesn't get bathed that often. He's in an aviary most days and if it rains he likes to get soaked.

I'll need to get him into the shower more often

How do I tell if he's molting? I have noticed any flight feathers falling out

 

[JerseyWendy]

He may not lose any flight feathers during this molt. Has he been preening his belly more than usual? You can tell he's molting if you find a larger amount of feathers than usual in his aviary.

Wait, so he's kept outdoors. Have you checked him for mites?

 

[henpecked]

Welcome to the forum. In most cases feathers are an indication of diet. Of course many young amazons are rough and tumble and do damage their feathers. That does not appear to be your case. Have you noticed more "shed" feathers lately, like it could be a 1st molt? If that's the case then you should also be noticing small "pin feathers".Your diet sounds good as far as fresh foods are concerned but he might need "daily maintenance pellets" to insure he gets the "trace" minerals and vitamins that he needs. Like Ms Wendy mentioned loads of good info in this section and the link she provided. Please get us some more photos, he looks a little more like a nape from the pics. (which is a subspecies of Yellow Front) Yellow Front covers alot of different subspecies(YCA,DYH,YNA,PAN,etc)

PS give us a little history , is he by himself in the aviary? his he flighted? We love pics/vids and stories about your buddy.

 

[antoinette]

Welcome to our wonderful forum

 

[Empath]

Thanks for the replies.I haven't noticed any pin feathers on Silas so I dont think he's molting, and i haven';t noticed any more feathers than usual in the aviary or inside cage. I've never seen him really preen his chest feathers, or i've never noticed it. I've never had much luck feeding my birds pellets so i havent tried too hard. Every birdie bread recipe i've seen has a corn bread recipe in it or some corn muffin mix none of which are available in australia

I do also feed them peas and corn, and i do chop as well, but i find a large portion of that is ignored. any other ideas for diet specifically for silas are appreciated

Silas spends his days in the aviary and the nights inside. his "cell mates" in the aviary include Sid my Eclectus, Punchy the Alexandrine and Zara my Red Tail Black cockatoo. they tolerate each other, there are minor squabbles but the aviary is big enough for them to have their own space.

As well as that my Flock includes Freddy and Ruby (Sulphur Crested Cockatoos), Chuckles my blue quaker and Beacon my gold capped conure (or peach face i think is another name).

I let them fly around inside together and they take over the kitchen and dining areas.

 

[JerseyWendy]

WOW, you have quite the beautiful flock!!!

Ok, here is the recipe I cook for my birds, it may work for you:
http://www.parrotforums.com/parrot-food-recipes-diet/22594-cook-portion-freeze-my-recipe.html

 

[henpecked]

yeah,Silas appears to be mostly Yellow nape.