Losing baby feathers

[BawkBuGawk]

My 5 week old chicks are growing their adult feathers. Is it normal for them to itch at them or peck at their own baby feathers during this change? Or should I be looking for mites/Luce?

 

[TwoCrows]

Hello and welcome to BYC!

Totally normal to be itchy, flakey, grooming and picking at feathers at this age. Chicks molt 6 or 7 times before their final set of adult feathers. So lots of feathers and dander! However definitely clean up the molted feathers as much as you can, chicks can develop bad habits at young ages of eating feathers that are laying around, and it's not a good habit to eat them.

Enjoy your babies!

 

[BawkBuGawk]

Thank you so much. I had no idea they would molt that many times before getting adult feathers. I will definitely keep the feathers pick up.