Advice needed: 5 week old chick with barely any feathers, unknown breed

[OZAdelaidechick]

Hi wise & wonderful chicken lovers!
I am raising my first brood of chicks, mostly a mixed bag of mixed breeds. My chicks are now all at least 5 weeks old. Most of them are fully feathered or nearly there. However, I've got this one chick, who started yellow and looking similar to my white leghorns, but within the last 4 weeks, they have all fully feathered and this little one hasn't! As the feathers have grown in, they're also very different to the white leghorns as they're all white and this one has lots of black coming in. Any idea on the breed? And they're supposed to be leaving the brooder next weekend. I'm not concerned about the fully feathered chicks but I'm thinking this one will still be lacking feathers come next Saturday! It's the middle of winter here and most days barely get over 10 deg C. Should I keep them in the brooder longer?

Any advice/ guidance?

 

[Silkie owner]

It could be moulting

 

[333113]

If these are mixed breeds, it will be difficult to predict the final color. However, I will venture a guess that it will be something like a red or yellow. This chick's color pattern is similar to my Nankins at that age.

Another factor that may be in play here is the slow feathering gene. Hatcheries like to use this gene for sexing chicks early on. Cackle Hatchery has a good description of the slow feather gene and how it works here:

https://blog.cacklehatchery.com/what-is-feather-sexing-separating-fact-from-myth/

As for molting, you will see that chicks molt frequently during their growth period, shedding feathers that are too small and growing new, bigger ones, until they are full-grown. Although a one-year-old chicken is classified as an adult by the American Poultry Association, full adult plumage in many chickens doesn't happen until sometime in their second year, depending on breed. After that, chickens will periodically molt their worn-out feathers and grow new ones.

 

[OZAdelaidechick]

It could be moulting

It's never had feathers

 

[OZAdelaidechick]

If these are mixed breeds, it will be difficult to predict the final color. However, I will venture a guess that it will be something like a red or yellow. This chick's color pattern is similar to my Nankins at that age.

Another factor that may be in play here is the slow feathering gene. Hatcheries like to use this gene for sexing chicks early on. Cackle Hatchery has a good description of the slow feather gene and how it works here:

https://blog.cacklehatchery.com/what-is-feather-sexing-separating-fact-from-myth/

As for molting, you will see that chicks molt frequently during their growth period, shedding feathers that are too small and growing new, bigger ones, until they are full-grown. Although a one-year-old chicken is classified as an adult by the American Poultry Association, full adult plumage in many chickens doesn't happen until sometime in their second year, depending on breed. After that, chickens will periodically molt their worn-out feathers and grow new ones.

Thanks for the info, but can a fluffy chick head into the coop with the other fully feathered chicks? Or does it need to stay in the brooder until it's fully feathered?

 

[Ryguy3684]

I had one with a similar feather pattern at that age. The rest were feathered in. I put my heat plate in the coop, just in case she still needed it. She was fine. I had a few nights in the same temperature range you mentioned. She used the heat plate to sleep for the first few nights.

 

[OZAdelaidechick]

I had one with a similar feather pattern at that age. The rest were feathered in. I put my heat plate in the coop, just in case she still needed it. She was fine. I had a few nights in the same temperature range you mentioned. She used the heat plate to sleep for the first few nights.

Thanks so much for your reply. Glad to know someone else has had the same experience! I'll put one of my heat plates in and see how we go!!!

 

[lizberry81]

Came across this thread due to questions about my kid. Hatched *first* and will be 4 weeks tomorrow. Still looks like a big chick. Acts the same as siblings - even does the chest bump thing. Has some straggly wing feathers, but that's it. Came from an egg marked "blue laced red wyandotte."

 

[LaFleche]

Came across this thread due to questions about my kid. Hatched *first* and will be 4 weeks tomorrow. Still looks like a big chick. Acts the same as siblings - even does the chest bump thing. Has some straggly wing feathers, but that's it. Came from an egg marked "blue laced red wyandotte."

Wyandottes and some other breeds have the slow feathering gene, mostly male chicks affected and they just skip one round of feathering, nothing to worry about.

With French Marans it is a little different as the females too can show slow feathering.