slightly graphic pic...trying to figure out if she was attacked or did it to herself...

[enola]

Chicks in a brooder that is too hot will pluck feathers.

 

[aidensmomma]

What dimensions is a very large brooder and how many chicks is all its hatch mates?

Eggcessive is right about the causes of feather picking. However there seems to be a lot of pin and blood feathers coming in. t may, possibly, kind-of, sort-of, maybe, be an abnormally fast molt of her down leading up to her first adolescent feathers growing in.

the brooder is a 5 foot long, 2 foot wide wooden master piece built based on a picture of one on this website...

it's plenty big for many more than the 7 that are in there. I have an indoor baby brooder for the first few days, the larger, aforementioned brooder for up to about 5-6 weeks depending on the breed (size) a juvenile "mini" coop for introducing to the flock, and then the big coop that can easily hold 20-30.
The problem now is, because it's right on her preening gland, she keeps trying to preen and can't figure out why it hurts. wonder if they make teeny tiny chick cones

I held her for quite a while after applying the medicine so that she wouldn't wipe it right off...

 

[aidensmomma]

Chicks in a brooder that is too hot will pluck feathers.

Also good to keep track of. I make sure the temp is right around 70-75 at night. Temps here in Florida are nice right now, so no need for heat lamps during the day.

 

[chickengeorgeto]

the brooder is a 5 foot long, 2 foot wide wooden master piece built based on a picture of one on this website...

it's plenty big for many more than the 7 that are in there. I have an indoor baby brooder for the first few days, the larger, aforementioned brooder for up to about 5-6 weeks depending on the breed (size) a juvenile "mini" coop for introducing to the flock, and then the big coop that can easily hold 20-30.
The problem now is, because it's right on her preening gland, she keeps trying to preen and can't figure out why it hurts. wonder if they make teeny tiny chick cones

I held her for quite a while after applying the medicine so that she wouldn't wipe it right off...

That's adequate for now. A quarter sized peace of raw hamburger meat for all 7 peeps may be in order to quell any hankering for extra protein. Butter milk, and mashed up hard boiled eggs may also help. Chickens are just more evolved T-Rexes.

Enola is right about inappropriate temps causing feather picking.

 

[Eggcessive]

The Nustock cream tastes bad, and may keep her (and later, the others) from pecking or trying to touch her preening gland for a bit of time. You could always try a mini-hen apron, LOL. I have made a few large ones out of polar fleece with slits cut for the wings, but she may not have enough wing feathers yet.

 

[aidensmomma]

The Nustock cream tastes bad, and may keep her (and later, the others) from pecking or trying to touch her preening gland for a bit of time. You could always try a mini-hen apron, LOL. I have made a few large ones out of polar fleece with slits cut for the wings, but she may not have enough wing feathers yet.

They have a ton of wing feathers so that is definitely an option!!! Great idea too..might have to give it a try. I have some fleece we use for crafts that will work perfectly so we'll see how that turns out....i will probably not show a picture of it though, i have some pride!!!

 

[aidensmomma]

I LOVE vetericyn. baby chick's backside is already looking better. the swelling has gone down significantly and she has stopped picking at it. i hope to see some new feathers come in and get her back with the other chest bumping babies in a few days thanks again for all the help and advice

 

[Crooked-Creek]

This is one of my 3 week old LB's who was fine last night and I found her butt like this this morning. I can see that the feathers have been plucked but the bulging concerns me....is that swelling from the plucking or could it be something else? I've consulted my chicken health book and didn't find a lot, but did apply some vetricyn and separated her from the others. i have had no other problems with behavior. any advice or help is appreciated.







Hello, We raise 3 to 4 hundred chick's each year and we have encountered this problem before. Sometimes a single chick can do a lot of damage pecking the feathers off of the others. We start by separating the wounded and then look for the culprit or culprit's. We will separate the chicks according to size and aggression. If there are mixed breeds in the brooder, we have found that sometimes we have to separate them according to breed and size. It's always best if you can catch this problem early, because it can quickly get out of control. You can purchase an ointment called "Black Salve" It's sold in 4 oz. bottles and it helps prevent feather picking. You apply it to the area that's being pecked and I guess it acts like thumb sucking medicine. When the aggressive chick peck's and get some of this on his beak, he will quickly start wiping and scratching at his beak like it really taste bad. LoL!!!
This ointment is sold at Smith Poultry Supply (http://www.poultrysupplies.com/) but i'm sure other poultry suppliers carry something like it. Hope this helps. Good Luck!!!!