Moulting is natural and normally happens twice a year. Early fall, Aug-Sept, is when the feathers realy start flying...no worry it is just the molt. I recommend raising the protein level up to about 20% during this time. The higher protein will promote good feather formation as they are mostly protein. Adding chopped hard boiled egg also, make the feathers shine.
Growing feathers are often called "blood feathers". Each feather has its own blood supply until it finishes growing. Do not clip your birds wing if these feathers are present. If a feather is damaged after its blood supply is cut off, it cannot repair itself and can be replaced only in the next moult.
To compensate for the energy lost during moulting, a healthy bird's metabolism usually prevents the bird's body from carrying out two stressful functions, laying eggs and moulting, at the same time.
During the moult, feathers become loose as the follicles in the skin become active and engorged with blood. The new feathers being formed push out the old ones. The primary purpose of moulting is to replace old, worn-out feathers with new ones. The feather growing process requires a great deal of energy. Most moults begin with the loss of the innermost primary feathers on both wings. When about half the primaries are affected, it continues to the outermost secondary feathers on the wings. The bird then begins to moult body feathers, followed by the tail.
