3 week old chicks with bare chests?

[AnimalAddict]

I'm new here. I appreciate any advice as I have never had chickens before. I have 8 chicks all the same age - 3 weeks approximately. 3 silkies, 3 Frizzles, 2 Ameracaunas. They are in a Rubbermaid plastic tub with shavings (which are a nightmare and someone told me to buy pellets which I bought today) and a 60 watt lightbulb/lamp. They are running out of room and I just finished today making a temporary coop out of an old kitchen cabinet and some hardware cloth while I build their permanent home. I noticed yesterday that all of them have bare chests, sort of like a line of bare skin running down the middle of their chest. I notice they are starting to feather ... is this normal or is something wrong? Is this just losing the down while the feathers come in?

 

[gracierooster]

I don't know but if they are eating, and pooping, and running around, I wouldn't worry about it. I drive myself crazy sometimes worring about an animal possibly being sick but when I remember the eating and pooping theory and they look good, it calms me down. This wasn't what you were looking for but it's all I have, Anita

 

[featheredroots]

Mine did that too, but they're fine now. I'm thinking that laying on the bedding instead of roosting, rubs their feathers off.

 

[AnimalAddict]

Thank you guys! You've made me feel much better. I have them in their new temporary home now, out of that stuffy rubbermaid tub. They have three times as much room and wood pellets instead of shavings. They are racing and flying around like 4 year old kids! And they have never acted sick in any way. I remember when I first got my horses and one of them was limping I was freaking out. It was late at night and I went to Tractor Supply and picked up some linament and things, and the girl there said to me "You don't take your kids to the doctor for every question, do you?" I always try to remember that. For some reason I freak out so much more about my 4-legged (or winged!) kids than I do my 2 legged ones. It's awesome to be on this forum with other people who think like me. All of my friends live in town with "just" dogs, so they are clueless to my obsession with animals.