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female white zebra lost feathers

Posted: 05 Nov 2014, 17:16
by Lois57
My white hen has gone bald on the back of her neck!!!!
She is eating & drinking, bathing etc well.

I was wondering if her mate could be pecking her?

They have about 5 babies that are not far from fledging and both parents are looking after them well.

Any ideas as to why the male would start pecking her or could something else be causing the balding???

Thanks
lois

Re: female white zebra lost feathers

Posted: 06 Nov 2014, 16:25
by Niki_K
Often pairs will pluck feathers from the backs of each others necks to indicate they are ready to breed again (most commonly the male does it to the female, but I've seen some henpecked husbands too :lol: ) I wouldn't be too worried, as long as he isn't bullying her too much (e.g. drawing blood, or excessive plucking). If he is, pop him in a separate cage for a few days to let her relax a bit.