I have two baby cockatiels one is 4 weeks old the other is younger about 2 1/2-3 weeks old. The father plucked all feathers from 4 week old baby’s head. I took him out of the cage and now mom is alone in cage with them. Will she be able to care for the two without him?
Hi,
It’s not uncommon for one or both parents to overgroom a chick and remove some feathers. Often they pluck the back and back of the head. As long as they are not drawing blood, it’s fine. It’s too hard for the hen to feed chicks without help. I would return the male and not worry about the feather loss, again, as long as he isn’t drawing blood. He probably wants the chicks to leave the box so the female will mate again. It sounds like she laid a second clutch and only one out of each clutch hatched. There should not be that much of an age difference. If this male is under 2 years old, that’s the problem. Young males want to mate and aren’t interested in caring for eggs and chicks. As soon as both chicks have left the nest box, you need to remove it. Otherwise the male will have her starting yet another clutch and they will let the chicks die instead of weaning them. Once the chicks are weaned, move them to their own cage. Rest the parents and do not return the nest box for at least 6 months. This hen needs to rest. And if the male is under 2, don’t let them breed again until he is older. Some birds never make good parents, so if there are issues the next time, it’s best not to breed this pair again.
Thank you for asking Lafeber,
Brenda
