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Noah, my original male (normal grey) has really become a plucker
His partner Meg has had a bald head for a while now thanks to him but I always just put it down to him being a bit too "amourous" and thought it would pass.........

Just now though, Noah was sitting next to his daughter Gem and she screamed and when I looked up (I was standing near them) he had one of her head feathers in his beak
He also plucked his babies this year, they were about 2 to 3 weeks old when he did that and I removed him straight away.
He didn't do this last year and was a great dad.
This past breeding season, after the babies had fledged, he was great again when I put him back into the aviary, fed them, no plucking nothing......

I don't know if it has become a habit now
A breeder I spoke to today said he has had two birds in all his years of birdkeeping and he has always gotten rid of them.
I feel bad for Meg if I take her partner away, he is not drawing blood but still, I can't have him in the aviary if he is going to be like this I guess....

What do you guys think?
Would you get rid of the "offender" personally?
I know a lot of you are not breeders and do not have aviary birds, just pet birds which you get more attached to I guess.
I don't really want to part with Noah as I feel for Meg but would she take to a new partner if I was to sell/give away Noah ??

I faced this same problem three yrs ago when Van Gogh's overpreening of poor Rita, a schitzy lutino, began to open little bloody wounds. Over a long period of months, I tried several things, including a series of 3 Lupron injections and, for the first month of Lupron, separation into a single cage adjacent to the flight, first for him and then for her.

These drastic (to me and them, as the picture shows) actions followed a very hard thought process of mulling options and realizing I have very few. They are bonded, and he isn't suitable to live elsewhere. He is her cross to bear for life, I fear. Though, thank goodness, he's not bloodied her since all this. At age 13, she's lost enough of her vision that she's not as mobile as she used to be. Maybe her sedentary nature isn't as attractive to him. Who knows? I'm just so grateful.

He would be miserable if I gave him to someone with no other 'tiels, and he would pluck any other bird he might be rehomed to. He hatched here to parents who plucked their babies at about 10-12 days. His dad, from a line of show champions, has a split lower beak that I suspect was a nestbox injury from a parent who plucked. I think it's a genetic defect that he has little ability to control. It's a very sad thing. I'm just happy for each day that he no longer abuses Rita. I wish you similarly miraculous deliverance.

Here's what Joel Murphy, DVM said about Lupron in 2001: In many cases feather picking is caused by sexual hormonal imbalance. When studied we have found that some feather picking birds both male and female are stuck in the high testosterone levels normally found in early nesting behavior. We call this sexual frustration. Often the cause is a human inadvertently sexually stimulating their bird.

In these cases a new hormonal therapy called Lupron can be effective in both diagnosis of the cause of feather picking and treatment. We often use Lupron initially to test to see if sexual hormone imbalance is causing the feather picking. By giving these injections to a bird once every 2 weeks we can determine if excess sexual hormones are causing the feather picking behavior. There are other hormone therapies that we have used in the past such as depo provera and HCG, but these are not as effective and have more side effects so there is no reason to use them anymore.

If hormonal therapy is successful, then we work with a behavior therapist to find out why this bird is sexually stimulated. Lupron appears to be very safe, but I do not like to give it to a bird for life. This is treating the symptom rather than either the underlying cause or relationship between the pet bird and the family. http://www.holisticbirds.com/pages/vetview1001.htm

it could be a nutritional problem ... ( The remainder of this post has been deleted. )

thanks Blues, I remember that picture yeah, so sad, poor bird I am glad your male doesn't mutilate his poor hen so much anymore
To be honest, I think Meg would do okay without him, it is poor Noah who wouldn't cope without her
I have already decided not to breed them again anyway, though would love for Meg to have a few more clutches as she is normally a great mum

Alhee, it is not nutritional, my birds get seed, pellets, bread, corn, broccoli, chillies, bok choy, fresh eucalyptus and bottle brush and occasionally egg.
I could increase the amount of egg I guess but to be honest, the only one really into egg is Meg and before I get a chance to take the dish out the flies and/or ants are on it already

If you are up to it, you can keep them separated somehow so that they can't have physical contact but still be near eachother. I heard one breeder had to keep a pair separate for 3 years before they decided to get along... although they never got along prior to this time.

Meg could very well indeed find a new mate if she was interested in another male. Breeders often repair birds if things aren't working out, or will sell single breeders due to the loss of their mate, and the birds may be paired up with new mates in their new home.

Lol had to reread the "repair" birds a few times aha.....re-pair
Yeah we are thinking of doing that, and then would also be more selective in pairing Meg up with a "better" mutation (i.e. another whiteface mutation, she is a whiteface pearl)
Meg is now 3 1/2 years old and come next Spring, would be on her 4th clutch in that case (she has had two at my place and 1 at her previous home when she was not even 1 yet, poor love )
At what age should you be thinking of "retiring" a bird and how many clutches are too many (I only allow her 1 clutch per year as her and Noah have always had decent size clutches and obviously this past year he plucked the bubs so was def. not going to let him breed again anyway )
A few breeders I have spoken to have said they stop their hens from producing around age 6.......

Linus has gone through phases were he done this. I just put him in is own cage next to Lucilles. he eventually calms down after a few weeks.

Why dont you put fresh gum leaves in its aviary so it can have something to
chew on!
Or if you dont have them just put lots of wooden toys or even plastic!

Noah was never much into toys, only (over)preening Meg
He has been rehomed........had to do what was best for her.
She is now starting to bond to her new "partner" DJ......

Oh that is too bad but it probably was the best solution.