I have an albino hen who is about five years old. Last year i allowed her one last clutch of chicks which she did not do well with. When she was sitting on the eggs she plucked herself bear. And then soon as the bubs hatched plucked them too. It has been a good while since then but her feathers are not growing back. Do you think these feathers will grow back at all? And is it going to be a problem for her health if they don;t.

 

Thanks guys.

Edited January 19, 200817 yr by AuntyBugin

I have an albino hen who is about five years old. Last year i allowed her one last clutch of chicks which she did not do well with. When she was sitting on the eggs she plucked herself bear. And then soon as the bubs hatched plucked them too. It has been a good while since then but her feathers are not growing back. Do you think these feathers will grow back at all? And is it going to be a problem for her health if they don;t.Thanks guys.http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l17/meggidee/Picture-1.jpg(picture larger than BBC requirements)

Oh dear, she does look really plucked, I have only had these problems with my lovebirds and cockatiels, never budgies. Are you prepared to put a collar on this sweet little girl? Thank you for resizing, and yes, some feathers DID grow back on the tiels/lovies but who knows///

Edited January 19, 200817 yr by Phoebe

Hey phoebe No i wont put a collar on her. I have watched her carefully and am convinced that she isn't plucking anymore. She is a very sweet little bird and im not put off by her baldness just as long as her health is okay im happy for her to stay that way.

:budgiedance: Yes, as long as she is happy and not plucking, Molly my cockatiel is that way, she doesn't pluck anymore and SOME feathers have grown back but that is as good as it gets. :parrot:

I could not see your picture , but some hens will pluck away some of their breast feathers when sitting on eggs ,

Feather plucking I believe starts with a nutritional problem , Feathers are very high in protien, so make sure you are supplying enough.

Also I believe the hen could be looking for the blood from the new feather when it starts to grow , bloods contain sodium , potassium , iron and many other elements so there could be a deficiency there.

Also iodine plays a big part in the thyroid hormone this controls the feather moulting process in budgerigars a vitial necessity in budgerigars.

 

If all else fails I was recently told by a fellow breeder that they put hand cream ( sorbeline) over the backs of their chicks when the hen started to pluck and she took one mouth full and stopped plucking , she didnt even touch the younger chicks in the nest. I HAVE YET TO TRY THIS !! .

:budgiedance:

http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l17/meggidee/Picture-1.jpg

 

She looks very sore, and I would say she has got to a stage where she has destroyed her feather follicles stopping new and healthy regrowth. I would be fashioning a little vest for her, perhaps from a small childs sock and see if at very least it halts the habit for awhile :fear

Edited January 19, 200817 yr by KAZ

She looks sore, the poor little poppette! The others seemed to give good advice, so I'd go with that. Good Luck and keep us updated.

Thanks everyone. I'll let you know how she goes