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Zebra Finch missing feathers in the chest area

Posted: Sat Nov 08, 2008 6:12 pm
by patita71
I have two females in a cage, we noticed yesterday that one of them if not both laid eggs, there was a nest in there for them to sleep in (after further research I see this was not a good idea). We would hear them chirping away in there, almost as if arguing. We just got back from some errands and noticed that one of them has lost alot of the feathers on her chest. I have removed the nest, but now I'm worried if the other one is hurting this one. We got them from a breeder so these two have been together since birth, they are about 4months old.
Thoughts? Suggestions?
Thanks in advance!

Posted: Sun Nov 09, 2008 11:58 am
by Sally
What you are seeing is typical Zebra behavior. The hens want to lay eggs, even without males present, and they want to line their nest with soft material. Either the other hen is plucking the one, or she is plucking herself. This is not done to harm one or the other or in a mean way, they just want nesting material.

Best thing to do with Zebras is take away the nest, throw away all eggs, eventually they should stop laying.