I've noticed with my birds that they are little fashion police and actually object to certain articles of clothing we wear. Certain hens take exception to my husband's bathrobe, while one of my dresses and several pairs of pants cause them to either freak out or run from me--the dress and the pants are all patterned, by the way. Does your mom tend to wear the same housecoat, jacket, etc. when she goes outdoors? A certain pair of boots? Whatever the cause, I'd say he's a lost cause if he's flinging himself at the windows to get at her. Time for a new roo. :( Roberta, the 'Taming A Rooster' method isn't mine, the credit for that technique goes to Shagbark Bantams. But myself, Shagbark and many others have reported success with it, and NOT just with the person doing the taming. Not with EVERY bird, to be sure, but when it works, it works. If you have a batch of mean roos, I'd suspect additional issues such as too many roos to too few hens, overcrowding, breed characteristics, etc. Velvet ~:>

Poor Fred! It sounds like he suffered not only a physical injury but maybe a brain injury as well. Does he seem to have trouble balancing or walking? This problem is called Crookneck, also sometimes Twirling and/or Stargazing, if you do some research online you can fine out more and see if it fits. After all this time I don't know what you could do for him...A Silkie breeder friend of mine has a treatment involving Selenium and Vitamin E for head injuries to crested breeds, you could try it I guess. For what it's worth, here's his advice for treating Crookneck, caused by a blow to the head or bad feed, the text between the rows of **'s is his advice: ******************* Here is my theory and therapy for what some call "limber neck" and I call crookneck. The symptoms first show as a crook in the neck. It progresses to tucking the head, then tucking the head between the legs, then backing up, and tumbling over. It usually hits young birds but can happen at any age. It is unclear what causes crookneck. American Silkie Bantam Club members suggest water on the brain, vitamin E deficiency, and injury to the brain that is outside the skull and forms the knob on the top of Silkie's heads. Water on the brain was seen in a necropsy of an affected bird. Prednisone was suggested as symptomatic relief. Vitamin E and B complex are both good for neurological disorders. Selenium helps absorb vitamin E. Here's what I do for affected birds. If started before symptoms get severe, the bird will totally recover. To give vitamin E - just cut the end off a human capsule and squirt it in the bird's mouth. It is important to be sure the bird gets enough to eat and drink while it has this problem. Birds with severe cases of crookneck can't eat and drink enough to survive. You will need to gently place their head in the feed dish and carefully dip just the tip of the beak in water. Be careful not to dip too far into the water and to not stress the bird while trying to help. For the first week I give Twice a day 2.5 mg of prednisone 400 IU of vitamin E Once a day A piece of human vitamin B complex pill or a squirt of human liquid vitamins Selenium (50 micrograms/day for half size juvenile for 3 days) For the second week I give Once a day 2.5 mg of prednisone 400 IU of vitamin E A piece of human vitamin B complex pill or a squirt of human liquid vitamins Every other day Selenium (50 micrograms/day for half size juvenile for 3 days) For the following weeks I give Once a day 2.5 mg of prednisone 400 IU of vitamin E A piece of human vitamin B complex pill or a squirt of human liquid vitamins Every third day Selenium (50 micrograms/day for half size juvenile for 3 days) Do not abruptly stop prednisone, the swelling rebounds, decrease dose gradually. Vitamin E recovery can be slow; continue the vitamin E for several weeks at least. You can get the prednisone from a vet; just describe the problem of swelling in the brain probably due to injury. Yes, Silkies' brains do stick out through a hole on the top of the skull. You can get the vitamin E, selenium, and vitamin B complex or liquid vitamins at any pharmacy. ****************** When I used this technique I could not get Prednisone and had to stick with just the Vit E and Selenium, it worked out fine. Good luck! Velvet ~:>

Having lice can make your birds look "moth eaten". I belive it's beacuse the irritation of the lice causes the bird to pick at its feathers a lot (too much). I'm not sure if that's the sole reason they have lost their feathers or not. But if you have found lice on one bird, you need to treat them all. Forget the bathing. Dust each of them with Sevin dust or diatomaceous earth. Then dust them all again in a week or so. Good luck!

Thank you Fancifowl I will try giving them more animal protein just in case it's that. I have been watching them and they don't seem to be picking at each other but I can't watch them all the time so I certainly wont rule it out. I asked my vet about it yesterday and he suggested that they might be having an early moult due to stress but we couldn't think of any stresses except me cuddling them ;-) A friend suggested I try giving them tinned cat food for a protein boost have you tried that? regards, Ruth