I agree 100 % with your guesses. If they are not dustbathing, they will get mites. If they are in with adult chickens, they probably aren't dustbathing--older hens will often toss young ones out of the spot.
Respiratory irritation can cause itchyness and feather loss around the face as well, and...
Quarantine him IMMEDIATELY, I would bet large $$ that he's contagious. Keep him warm, quiet and comfortable with easy access to fresh water. Try a little vicks vapo-rub, a tiny bit around his nares and a dab under the wings. There's not much else you can do until you can get real medicine.
I call it the "shut up!" noise. They are telling each other to be quiet so they can hear lol. They will sometimes make it at night too, when they want to go to sleep but another chicken is rustling around or clucking. Your birds likely hear a squirrel rustling around, and want quiet so they can...
It sounds like she may have vent gleet, which is analogous to a yeast infection in humans. If it's widespread, e.g. in her intestines, it will not only be very uncomfortable for her, but also threaten her life since she won't feel like eating, and can't properly absorb food. You're going to have...
It sounds/looks like it might be a slipped tendon. I had several meat turkeys that this happened to. You may have to get him to a poultry vet to have the tendon repositioned and the leg splinted. Since he's not an overweight meat bird, it should be a good fix.
Something to keep in mind for the small-minded militant vegetarians (most are not, but you know you get "those" ones) is that the vast majority of cheeses they feel justified in eating are made with rennet, I don't know where they think rennet comes from, but it ISN'T live animals. Talk about...
Definitely go with a large Royal Palm Tom. That's what I've done with my BBWs, and their offspring are anywhere from 12 to 35 lbs. Keep in mind though, that your BB girls will be unlikely to be able to sit a nest--all the eggs will eventually get broken--so you will have to either artificially...
So, I bought 10 mixed day-old Broad Breasted Whites, April 2011. They were my first turkeys ever after raising chickens for over 30 years. I lost 2 in the first month because the pekins I bought at the same time sat on them and smothered them. The rest thrived and were healthy and strong until I...
I have 14 three week old hatchery chicks...brown egg layers, mixed sex, breed not specified. Within the last two weeks almost ALL of them have lost the ends of their beaks, both top and bottom, though a few have lost just the top. Not enough to impair their ability to eat and drink, but it's...