6 wk chick is molting heavily. Is this normal or not?

[Bell Street]

 

[Bell Street]

Not sure what to think. Is it mites or lice? Or is it adolescent molt? They have a DE dust bath. I've lost 3 chicks over the past 2 weeks. All seemed fine, except losing feathers. All these birds were vaccinated when I bought them.

 

[rosemarythyme]

No that's not normal. Do you know how to check for parasites? https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/my-chicken-has-mites-now-what.1273674/page-2#post-20483008

 

[BlueBaby]

Do you have any that are not loosing the feather's like that? I had some chick's a while back that one of them was eating the feather's off of another chick.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Do you have any that are not loosing the feather's like that? I had some chick's a while back that one of them was eating the feather's off of another chick.

Yeah it does look plucked but the fact that it's plucked all over is pretty unusual, so wondering if it's contributing to the damage itself as well.

 

[Bell Street]

No that's not normal. Do you know how to check for parasites? https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/my-chicken-has-mites-now-what.1273674/page-2#post-20483008

No, can you tell me? Could this be coccidia?

 

[Bell Street]

Do you have any that are not loosing the feather's like that? I had some chick's a while back that one of them was eating the feather's off of another chick.

She's the only one with so many missing. Nothing abnormal with the others. I did lose 2 other birds in the last couple weeks, both I found dead in the dust bath.

 

[Bell Street]

Yeah it does look plucked but the fact that it's plucked all over is pretty unusual, so wondering if it's contributing to the damage itself as well.

I did a thorough examination on her and the coop and can't find any evidence of lice or mites. Used flashlight in the dark on stoops, checked vent and stem of feathers. I don't see anything, but she has scaly dry skin and I found one bleeding sore. The other chicks are using the dust bath often and they seem to like to sleep all together in it. I clean their coop out completely and vacuum, once to twice a week.

 

[Chicalina]

Something is eating those feathers as they emerge.

It has got to be a 6/8 legged invertebrate or 2 legged poultry!

 

[rosemarythyme]

No, can you tell me? Could this be coccidia?

Coccidia would show up mainly as lethargy, possibly bloody poops. It's internal, not a skin parasite.

Don't know how much time you have to be able to watch their behavior, but I'd keep an eye on how the group is interacting. If there's picking going on, from another chick, it should be obsessed enough to do it pretty regularly.