baby budgies loosing feathers

Question
I own a couple of budgies and they have mated and reproduce for the third time. The chicks are about 4 weeks old, 3 of the 4 survived. Now the 3 are loosing all the feathers,starting back of the head and now going down around the neck. What to do, what is wrong with them? The first two hatching  did not do this?

Answer
Hello Lise! The mother may be picking the babies feathers. Its not common but parent birds will do this to their own offspring when stressed. Watch the mother and how she acts with the babies, does she seem aggressive? spy on her to see if shes the one pulling the feathers. If this is not the case then the babies may be suffering from a vitamin defiency or feather mites. First let examine the feather mites. These tiny wingless parasites like to hang out under the wings and will eat the feathers. Are some of the feathers ratty or chewn looking? The mites also cause the bird to itch a lot, are the babies constenly scratching themselves? If so, buy some mite or lice spray for birds. Follow the directions on the bottle and it will eventully get rid of the mites. If there are no sign of mites, then i reccomend purchasing a product called "The Missing Link" it may be hard to find at your local pet store but can be ordered online at many sites. Its a formula that corrects and fills in any vitamins the bird may be lacking. Other treats such as kale, parsley, egg, pasta, and other leafy greens will satisfy the birds. hope everything works out with your babies, good luck!