Handling of PI birds in a breeding operation is very risky!

Persistently PBFD virus infected birds is a HUGE problem in budgerigar breeding colonies where PBFDV is endemic.

If you keep budgerigar chicks with French molt and they recover, there is a high probability that they may become silent superspreaders of PBFDV in the colony. These birds look healthy, but the virus has evaded their immune system, so if you take a feather sample from such a bird it will be positive by PCR-analysis for the virus.

My advice is to test all chicks-birds kept in an outbreak to detect such superspreaders. The french molt conundrum has been a headache for many a budgerigar breeder over the years.

Please be aware of this conundrum:

- First handling PI birds in your aviary for checking condition etc. and get hundreds of thousands of PBFD viral particles on your hands, Then handle naive chicks next in your nestboxes. You will infect the naive chicks mearly by touching them.

Our complete series explains everything about French molt. Don't listen to nonsense, let our science speak to you:

1. The root cause of French Molt

2. Management of French Molt