|  |       I once read a article somewhere that said cockatiels can get 
    addicted to the taste of the oils contained in the root of thier
    feathers. They will pluck thier own feathers to get a fix. If you
    find that they are eating the end of the feather extracted from
    the skin, remove the feather from the cage. This is one way to try
    to break the habbit or addiction. You should also do this during
    the moulting, (remove fallen feathers) this could be how they got
    addicted..........
                          ( HOPE THIS HELPS!)       TOM
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|  |     Thank you for your comments.  The article in Bird Talk was very
    interesting and gave a different perspective.  Cockatiels are somewhat
    funny about new things in there cage, I am discovering.  The picking
    may be due to a toy he didn't take to and/or some other changes.
    I'm trying to stick to a routine which seems to help him and gives
    him things to look forward to.  The feather-picking is still there
    but getting much less.  I'll keep trying until I figure it out.  
    
    Thanks,
    
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