Ugliest Border Award Winner 2014 - Tubular Body Challenge

Without a doubt, the Border in the swing is the ugliest I raised this year!

Rough loose feathering and almost no confirmation!

 Originally, I separated out four ugly Borders and put them in a flight. The one on the floor developed good confirmation as well as the other two but not the ugly one. In his defense, I would credit him for having a little back finally starting to show but he has such long ways to go!

Most flattering picture I could get of the Ugliest Border Award Winner!

So what's his problem:

1. Firstly, the winner is in a very heavy molt where the other three have nearly finished the molt. The faster the molt the worse confirmation overall.

But why is it lagging behind the other three? The reason is he was a late hatch and I imagine it is a male. Seems the females have better confirmation even during the molt. Late hatches molt heavier in attempt to catch up but does that ever make them ugly.

2.  Observing him carefully, he is not stressed by the other rather he is first to nibble the millet swing and often seen in the swing and playing on the Canary Ferris Wheel.  Normally I initially house birds of the same age together, but he was a lone chick in a late nest.

3, If he were tubular and not molting heavy, I would make sure the vitamin E level had been dropped as  males especially loose their confirmation and look tubular when they are coming into full breeding condition,

4. So I need to relax and not panic and just be patient and continue him on Boost 250 and liquid B vitamins in the water, sunflower chips added to his seed mix, some Blattner's finch seed mix at least once a week and unlimited millet sprays and greens.

Another couple Borders in the same cage as the winner.