My hen has starting plucking the down feathers off the babies, i have been searching the forum and reading different suggestions so what i am wondering has anyone tried putting a mix of babyoil and dettol on the babies and does it work. i am wondering if i do it could it cause the hen to reject the babies because they smell funny.Does anyone have any other suggestions that might help to stop her. The eldest is 13 days old and she is bald.

Edited June 22, 200817 yr by deb

My hen has starting plucking the down feathers off the babies, i have been searching the forum and reading different suggestions so what i am wondering has anyone tried putting a mix of babyoil and dettol on the babies and does it work. i am wondering if i do it could it cause the hen to reject the babies because they smell funny.Does anyone have any other suggestions that might help to stop her. The eldest is 13 days old and she is bald.

 

Oh no Deb. Sorry to hear about this. I have not experienced this so can't advise. I hope someone can give you some answers and things will sort themselves out. Good luck!

I wouldnt coat them with anything. Have you another hen you can foster to ?

no foster hens because the rest of my hens are either too old or too young for breeding.i am a bit upset by the plucking because it is my first cabinet breeding and i wanted everything to go right so i spend ages reading on breeding and have been trying to do everything right but i still end up with problems.i was planning to wait till i had another pair before i put this pair in the breeding cabinet but she was trying to nest in her quarintinee cage on the grate so i moved her to the breeding cabinet.

Oh Deb. I don't think the hen plucking has anything to do with what you have or havn't done. I think it's an inbuilt thing. Some hens do it , some don't. I read somewhere where you can substitute the breeding box door with a clear plastic one. This lets more light in and she 'might' stop. You just have to make sure she goes back in and is okay with the extra light. Correct me if I'm wrong anyone.

In that case you might just have to persevere until they are old enough to take her out and leave dad to look after them.

The nest box i have has a small opening at the back for the light to come in but i had the box covered with a cloth to stop cold air coming in the back of the nest box but i removed it this morning so light can get in the box now.At what age can you remove the hen and the male will look after the babies.

I have no time for feather plucker's! It's so annoying!

There is a commercial spray you can get to help, but you have to be careful spraying or putting anything on the chicks as any strange smells coming from the chicks can throw the hen off feeding them or cause an attack!

 

Some say that it is through boredom and to put a iodine block in the breeding box to give the hen something else to pick at. I have used this method and with everything, sometimes it works! sometimes it doesn't!

 

The down is not really a issue. It's the feather plucking that is painfully stressful for the young. But that grows back, except in a few places like the wing butts.

 

It's hard to see who's doing the damage. The hen or the cock or both. Any feather pluckers are the first on my cull list doesn't matter how good they are!

My understanding is feather plucking is passed down through the generations. If a hen does it that to her chick it means it was done to her as a chick and it means the chicks will do it to their chicks one day too....

 

If i get a feather plucker, i do not breed with them again, or their offspring.

In my experience feather plucking is random. I havent found it to be genetic at all and some hens do it when they havent ever done it before. I think its stress and or boredom related. Some hens also go out of condition partway through raising chicks and can lose interest in the chicks as well. These are my observations.

Its really annoying though, and I do get a bit p***ed off with the hens concerned.

My understanding is feather plucking is passed down through the generations. If a hen does it that to her chick it means it was done to her as a chick and it means the chicks will do it to their chicks one day too....

 

If i get a feather plucker, i do not breed with them again, or their offspring.

 

 

No, I think that's an old wives tail **Liv**.

I have had plucked damaged hens and cocks that haven't touched there young.

One things for sure, once a plucker always a plucker!

 

I have a theory, that sometimes young first time hens that aren't quite ready mentally for the rigors of rearing young, can develop plucking as a nervous habit. And the cock as well for that matter!

Again it comes back to knowing and reading you birds behavior!

 

Just like people some aren't the full quid!!

I agree with Kaz , its random , I have use hens that were plucked by their mothers and have had no problems with them , But once a plucker always a plucker and better to not breed with her again .

Ive tried all the ideas from iodine to rock salt , as throwbak says some work some dont.

A receient idea I heard about was QV cream or sorbolene smere some on the back of the chick , I havent tried this though , So goodluck deb.

Kaz, TB and LB, I learned something new, Thanks

My understanding is feather plucking is passed down through the generations. If a hen does it that to her chick it means it was done to her as a chick and it means the chicks will do it to their chicks one day too....

 

If i get a feather plucker, i do not breed with them again, or their offspring.

 

 

No, I think that's an old wives tail **Liv**.

I have had plucked damaged hens and cocks that haven't touched there young.

One things for sure, once a plucker always a plucker!

 

I have a theory, that sometimes young first time hens that aren't quite ready mentally for the rigors of rearing young, can develop plucking as a nervous habit. And the cock as well for that matter!

Again it comes back to knowing and reading you birds behavior!

 

Just like people some aren't the full quid!!

Interesting you say that Throwbak , I recently had a new hen , first nest , She was 12 months old and laid 6 eggs all fertile " beauty I said" but when the first egg hatched I noticed she went funny when i looked in the box , She fussed around and was always nipping at the chick , so I moved it , the next chick hatched and she did the same thing so I left it this time to see what would happen , she pretty much left the rest of the eggs and placed all her attention to the one chick , so me thinking I smart place the first chick back to see if she would calm down but no she ignored the other chick all to gether as if she couldnt do two things at once , so move the chick again , lost the rest of the eggs and when the feathers started to come through she plucked them out , I moved this chick also and the hen is now out of the team. Im thinking she just didnt know what to do ! "Hmm Girls"

Kaz, TB and LB, I learned something new, Thanks

 

 

Yeah I'm getting worried! We are starting to think alike!!

The hen and cock are about 2 years old but it is their first clutch.i will try the iodine block and see if it helps.

My understanding is feather plucking is passed down through the generations. If a hen does it that to her chick it means it was done to her as a chick and it means the chicks will do it to their chicks one day too.... If i get a feather plucker, i do not breed with them again, or their offspring.

No, I think that's an old wives tail **Liv**.I have had plucked damaged hens and cocks that haven't touched there young.One things for sure, once a plucker always a plucker!I have a theory, that sometimes young first time hens that aren't quite ready mentally for the rigors of rearing young, can develop plucking as a nervous habit. And the cock as well for that matter!Again it comes back to knowing and reading you birds behavior!Just like people some aren't the full quid!!

Interesting you say that Throwbak , I recently had a new hen , first nest , She was 12 months old and laid 6 eggs all fertile " beauty I said" but when the first egg hatched I noticed she went funny when i looked in the box , She fussed around and was always nipping at the chick , so I moved it , the next chick hatched and she did the same thing so I left it this time to see what would happen , she pretty much left the rest of the eggs and placed all her attention to the one chick , so me thinking I smart place the first chick back to see if she would calm down but no she ignored the other chick all to gether as if she couldnt do two things at once , so move the chick again , lost the rest of the eggs and when the feathers started to come through she plucked them out , I moved this chick also and the hen is now out of the team. Im thinking she just didnt know what to do ! "Hmm Girls"

They can be unpredictable lonebudgie. Maybe it's a hormonal thing? I have seen hens freak out at the sight of the first hatched! I remember one hen that refused to go in the nest box when there was a chick in there. When I removed the chick and forstered it out she would return and sit on the eggs only to freak out again when the next one come along! Weird!You can't put up with that sort of thing and culled her backside at the first chance! That hurt! as she was a English import back in the day!

The hen and cock are about 2 years old but it is their first clutch.i will try the iodine block and see if it helps.

It's never easy Deb!Even for the most experienced breeders I have seen plucked young in there nursery cage!Good luckKeep us informed

How many are in the clutch???

Try putting millet in the box to distract the hen

I always have a few pairs breeding at the one time & mostly if they start feather plucking I foster them. In cases where I have no other pairs I just put up with it until the bird is a bit older, then take it from the nest & place it on the floor of the cage, maybe with some protection. Strange they only seem to do it in the nest once the chick is out of the nest I have never had it continue. I always agreed with the others, that once a feather plucky always a feather plucker, but this year I was proven wrong. I had one young hen that started it, I fostered her chicks. Then on the next nest her cock died she was left to feed them by herself, she never plucked these chicks. Since then with a new cock bird she has never plucked a chick again. I have found that most hens start at a certain time, usually it's the late pin feather stage, if I have a known feather plucker I try to remove her chicks to a foster before this happens…as others have said feather pluckers are high on my culling list. Also I don't think it matters if they were plucked as chicks I have had plucked chicks breed with no problems at all.

 

Like others have said it seems that even Budgies have psychological problems. Mostly I like hens that just leave the nest allowing you to check the eggs or chicks, but with the more show birds [English] I am finding that they sit tight & often are very aggressive if you try to inspect, maybe it’s because they are quieter birds [tame] & don’t fear you as much. I have had some really aggressive ones. I have a young Lutino hen bred from Texas Clearbodies she is on her first batch, she is so aggressive I have trouble putting my hand in the box & she screams all the time, she must be very nervous as when her chicks first hatched I found some with wounds on their heads, now she has calmed down a bit & they have been raised & she didn’t feather pluck. She is quite mad, when I even look into the cabinet if she is out of the nest she drops to the ground runs into a corner & screams at me…so you get all types.

Edited June 22, 200817 yr by Norm

i decided to add a photo of the eldest who is 14 days old because i am worried about their size as well, they used to be plump looking but they are starting to look skinny.They always have food in their crop but she does not fill them up like she used to and she is also spending alot more time out of the nestbox.They are not eating as much of the egg and biscuit anymore.

 

i decided to add a photo of the eldest who is 14 days old because i am worried about their size as well, they used to be plump looking but they are starting to look skinny.They always have food in their crop but she does not fill them up like she used to and she is also spending alot more time out of the nestbox.They are not eating as much of the egg and biscuit anymore.

 

Deb, that isnt always a sign of plucked babies. That kind of feather loss can be nutritional and based on what you are saying about the hens feeding practices it might well be so. Plucking usually is more evident on the back of the head and wing butss, and also you see bloodspots where the bald patches are. I have had quite a few chicks look like that and they all end up with their feathers in fully and no plucking going on.

Is there anything i can do to help the babies, i am giving the parents egg and biscuit mix, seed, vegies and they have cuttle bone and millet spray in the cage.

Is there anything i can do to help the babies, i am giving the parents egg and biscuit mix, seed, vegies and they have cuttle bone and millet spray in the cage.

 

 

No, I think she has plucked the down.

You get blood spots if they pull pins feathers. But down doesn't really leave marks

just a bald cold chick.

 

It's too young to have a nutritional problem causing feather issues as it's only just at pin feather stage. The feeding isn't a issue I feel, what you are giving sounds spot on and more than enough to meet there nutritional needs.

 

I had one a couple of weeks ago that I had to transfer to this nest of three.

You can see in the down starting to grow back.

Just keep a eye out that she doesn't start pulling pins. She may just stop at the down.

Poor little fella!

 

 

Edited June 23, 200817 yr by throwback

Sometimes it would be great to have webcams in every nest box

Sometimes it would be great to have webcams in every nest box

 

I have looked into this Kaz, but the only trouble is the tiny pinhole cameras don't generate light. So you wouldn't see much in a dark nest box. I think also it would be better to be wireless which reduces the choices again.