Hi Steve All the advise above sound pretty good. Molting is a good possibility. Also were you there when he caught them. We use a leg catch for our chickens and turkeys when we catch them to sell but the Guineas are a different story. Feathers get left behind every time with them. Another thought besides the molting. possibly lice came with them. Try some Sevin dust especially if there is a lot of the vent and tail fluff showing. If itÂs the actual tail feathers it can still be lice. ItÂs probably pretty cold in NJ and the Rhodes are a heavy bird that will fluctuate a lot in the winter but will continue to lay. After the girls are settled in if they still arenÂt laying as much as you think they should (and remember they will back off substantially in the winter) then try some red pepper flakes sprinkled free choice on their feed ration. It gets the blood moving and warms them up and also helps with internal parasites. Hope you have buyers lined up for the Spring. Mike

Sorry to hear that you are having such trouble already! Certainly won't have expected it this soon. House finches have been the worst bird in my orchards. They do a lot of damage to apples. Did have a Stella cherry in Amarillo that wasn't bothered too badly but then again the cherries weren't that good. I'm planning to cover my cherry block with 30% shade cloth when, if, any cherries arrive. May try to combine it with a rain shelter during the susceptible stage. We also have a lot of wind and some hail which the right shade cloth would help control. That is why I want to keep my trees to less than 10ft. I may just try to protect three trees or a nine tree block planted 9ft by 9ft. So that would be a shelter about 30ft by 30ft to cover nine trees. The shade cloth to cover that, top and sides, would probably be about $400-500. The frame to keep it up isn't to difficult to erect. I also might do something to reduce frost damage; heaters or sprinklers. It's all a lot of trouble but friends and family sure do enjoy the chance to stuff themselves with high quality cherries when they come in. A 30 by 30ft block could produce several hundred lbs of cherries. The Fruitnut

House finches...to love them or to hate them? Here's the story. They are native to Mexico and the Western United States, but were brought into the NYC area as cage birds in the 1930's. When pet stores found out they were a protected species (almost all passerines are), they released them, and the released birds began to breed. From those few dozen birds, the population of house finches in the northeastern states grew to over 10 million, and they began to spread southward. The first accepted record of one appearing in Florida was in 1983. The birds now breed as far south as Tampa and Lakeland, with some isolated colonies appearing even farther south. The malel house finch's color can vary from yellow to red, with the females seeming to prefer the reddest males. So...they don't really belong here, but they sure are pretty, and I suspect there is not one thing we can do about them being here, so we may as well enjoy them. Great pictures, Kara! Thanks for sharing! Marcia

I'd take it to a rehabber. I'm not sure, but I think it might be illegal to keep a wild bird? Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think you're best bet would be to take it to a rehabber. You can drop an email to the guy who runs hummingbirds.net, I think he takes emails. Good luck!! Christy