What causes adult birds to pull out their feathers?
A common cause of feather pecking (pulling) is an infestation of the depluming mite. This mite causes severe irritation by borrowing into the skin near the base of the feathers, and frequently causes feathers to be pulled out or broken. This mite, who is barely visible to the naked eye, can be found in the follicles at the base of the feather. Individual treatment consists of dipping infested birds in a warm sulfur solution (2 oz. sulfur + 1 oz. of soap in 1 gal. water). Of course, the birds may simply be molting.
A common cause of feather pecking (pulling) is an infestation of the depluming mite. This mite causes severe irritation by borrowing into the skin near the base of the feathers, and frequently causes feathers to be pulled out or broken. This mite, which is barely visible to the naked eye, can be found in the follicles at the base of the feather. Individual treatment consists of dipping infested birds in a warm sulfur solution (2 oz. sulfur + 1 oz. of soap in 1 gal. water). Of course, the birds may simply be molting.
