how should the feathers look?

[Autumn Mama]

what constitutes healthy plumage on 4-5 week old chicks, specifically blue orpington and blue ameraucana chicks? i would love to know what to expect regarding the plumage ..i have some between 4 and 5 weeks old and i have raised chicks before, but not blue ameraucanas and the feathers are concerning me. are they normally so tatty? i use this term to describe the flayed, jagged and lack lustre feathering i see. they are young, but as i recalled from other breeds i have raised that the feathers should look healthier?

could it be a feed issue, because they are on a nice chick feed, lightly processed, and eat all day. quantity of food isn't an issue, lol. they get some greens too when they forage on the lawn for short excursions outside.

i would love to know if this will improve as they get older or should i change something? or is it a breed issue, and they just have ratty plumage? they are pure bred blue ameraucanas. thank you!!

 

[Autumn Mama]

bumping this up, thanks!

 

[CHchickie86]

There is a tail feather shredding gene associated with lavender. Not sure if it affects blue or not. I'm not 100% sure on details however, maybe someone else can chime in?

 

[Autumn Mama]

a tail shredding gene ... no i haven't heard of that for blues, though i do understand that the lavenders can have that scruffy, soft feather look.
will the current feathers that look scruffy keep growing, and putting out more, lustrous feathering over and underneath those?

could this be a chick feed and lack of protein issue?

 

[CHchickie86]

Do you have a pic? My Buff had tattered looking tail feathers for the last two weeks and they've just now smoothed out. All of my other chickens (EE, three Cochins, Polish, two Old English, and a Silver Wyandotte) had normal looking feathers. For nutrition, they were all on medicated chick starter for their first two weeks and the last five weeks on Flock Raiser (they're 7 weeks old tomorrow). They're in a chicken tractor during the day on the back lawn with added fresh greens every other day. So not sure if it would be nutrition or not.