Araucana chick with very scraggly feathers

[Clucky-Cathy]

Hi everyone,

Hope you're all staying safe and staying home. We have two 7 week old araucana chicks which we hatched from eggs, one is feathering very well and the other looks rather scraggly (see photos below). Does anyone know why this might be? Also any ideas on whether they might be hens or roosters?

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

What a difference. The one may have something internal wrong with it. Time will tell.

 

[ChickNanny13]

Where did you get the eggs from?

 

[Clucky-Cathy]

Where did you get the eggs from?

We bought them from someone online (in NZ, Trademe). We got 6 eggs and put them under a broody hen, and these were the 2 that survived.

 

[MLG1900]

Well, I am not an expert but the second pic looks like the chick has frizzle feathers. So, I would think one of the parents has the genetic trait.

 

[ChickNanny13]

2x @MLG1900 Yours being a Araucana but have you heard of the "Silkied Ameraucana"?

It's NOT a breed that was bred for it's silky feathering but a mutated gene that appeared years ago. Some have been breeding for this trait, although it's been a very long and difficult project. There's a FB site and the original post that brought this mutated gene to our attention was on this site, search "What's Wrong with their Feathers" ...

 

[Clucky-Cathy]

Well, I am not an expert but the second pic looks like the chick has frizzle feathers. So, I would think one of the parents has the genetic trait.

Thanks, I didn't think of that. I'll have to look into it.