5 week old lovebird with no belly feathers ? Is this normal ?

[Leothebird]

Hello! About 2 weeks ago i found Leo, a 3 week old lovebird that was raised by its own mother in a large cage full of birds and was attacked by other lovebirds, which I assume was because the birds were territorial. The poor things feathers were ripped out from the back of its head to its neck, so i decided to treat it and raise it on my own.
Here is a photo after he was attacked

As time went on 2 weeks after thankfully his head healed and he is always active

Good news is he has teeny tiny little new feather sprouting out of his head!

Although there is a problem Now that their 5 weeks i saw Leo's siblings had fully grown their feathers on their belly but Leo hasn't?
Here are some photos sorry its pretty blurry

I'm worried am i underfeeding him? should i be concerned about this or is every bird different in its growth?
For his feed i put about 15ml bird formula and 15ml hot water

Please let me know if this is normal or not and what i can do
And it would be appreciated to know methods on promoting its feather growth on its head and neck.
Thank you.

 

[Zara]

Hello,
Poor baby, good job you stepped in or they would have killed him.
Given the damage in the first pic, some of the follicles could be damaged and never grow feathers. Hopefully they do re grow, but don't be too upset if they don't.

I worry if the crop isn't emptying completely? When you go to greet the bird in the morning, is its chest flat against its body? Or does it still have some bulge?
Very few feathers grow on the crop even in a normal lovebird. So a bulgy crop is quickly noticed.

What food are you using? Your ratio sounds too dry. And what temperature do you serve it at? Ideal is 104-105. No hotter or it will burn, no colder or it can lead to slow crop or infection.

 

[Leothebird]

It may also be because theres some cemented food on its crop feathers which makes them stick together. Ill definitely let you know next morning and send a pic.

For the formula i use this ^
And also if you need the back
I followed the instructions for the ratio but mabye you're right, what ratio should i use instead?

I try not to make the water not too hot or too cold, and thanks for letting me know the dangers of hot water i actually didn't know that. I'll be extra careful next time.

 

[Zara]

what ratio should i use instead?

As per package instructions, 6g powder to 15ml hot water.
Boil the water first, then let it cool down before making the formula. Use a thermometer to help you.

 

[Leothebird]

I tried as hard as i can to get a good pic since Leo is very energetic and doesnt stay in one spot


It seems his crop feathers are fine but they just need to be cleaned from the cemented food. I've seen people use a warm towel but is drenching it in a little water okay or is that too dangerous?