Seasonal dust provokes plucking?

[PetFoster]

I am going to be picking up a male ekkie this week who is a "seasonal plucker". The owner lives in a rural area, and has explained that around this time of year, when the farmers are harvesting and tilling spent crops back into the ground, his ekkie starts pulling out feathers, and he thinks it is due to the increased dust in the air. Evidently, the bird stops plucking when the farmers leave the fields, and he grows back most of his feathers (he primarily removes them from his chest), until the next fall, when it starts all over again. Has anyone else experienced this with their birds? I live in a suburb, and don't notice any spikes in dust or dirt in the air, but I also have an air purifier, which I am hoping will help. (The owner has had this guy for about 15 or 20 years, and has bred his birds in the past, so he has experience... as a newbie, I don't want to question his information too much, but I wonder if there could be more at play here.

 

[Shezbug]

Possibly many chemicals used in farming are also floating about in the air in higher concentrations than other times of the year.

 

[Mizzely]

Seasonal plucking is a thing - but is usually tied to hormones. I would be more inclined to think perhaps the farmer's presence is a coincidence.

That being said, stranger things have happened and seasonal allergies are definitely a thing, even in birds. Plucking the chest can be a sign of crop irritation or discomfort, which could be related to dust, chemicals, or pollen kicked up by the farmers.

Basically, it's impossible to know without knowing more

 

[PetFoster]

Thank you for your thoughts -- I really appreciate it! I am hoping that MAYBE a move to the "city" will help this guy out. Pics to come soon!

 

[JornsBergenson]

My bird gets stressed on garbage pickup day because the trucks come through twice in the morning. Could it be that the machines cause the bird stress?
Just a quirky thought.