Yesterday I had three spice finches fledge. They were being attended by mom and dad. Today both parents are still feeding, but mom wouldn't stop trying to feed them even when they were clearly satiated - when the chicks wouldn't beg, she would pull at them, ripping feathers out of her children's wings and breasts. This was not an isolated event - it happened probably a dozen times this morning before I realized I needed to cage her away from the babies before she really maimed them.
Will Dad be able to provide for the three on his own? He's being a much better parent than his wife...
What would compel her to tear her baby's feathers out? She ate them as she did so, which would normally give reason to suspect a deficiency, but with the diet I offer I don't see how that is possible. They get daily eggfood, greens, several seedmixes, millet, pellets, fruits and vegetables and eat everything offered and never plucked before the chicks left the nest.
