Bullied Baby

[elphabafalls]

I have a Lavender Orpington chick named Rain that's about 2 months old. She's a weird little thing. First, she looks half plucked because she doesn't have any feathers on her butt, stomach, chest and part of her neck. It looks like she has a Hawk Mo (a reverse mohawk) The feathers she does have are too long for her little body - like she's wearing a coat that's too big for her. The other chicks peck at her bare butt. Heck, she pecks her own bum, so she has Blu Kote on her more often than not. We call her 'The Berserker' because she will suddenly squawk loudly and start running around the coop/run, bulldozing the other chicks as she does it. Sometimes, she goes berserk because another chick has pecked her. Sometimes, she just goes nuts for no apparent reason at all. Yesterday, another chick plucked one of Rain's feathers. Rain is only happy when she's with our rooster and another chick that I suspect is a second rooster. Otherwise, she's nervous and unsettled. I understand that chickens develop a pecking order, but it seems that the only one that gets picked on is Rain. Even though Rain is growing and pooping (so I know she's eating), I've noticed that it's when she tries to access the water and food that the other chicks bully her the most. Should I be worried about Rain, or should I let them figure it out? Should I be concerned about the feather plucking? I mean the poor girl has so few feathers to begin with - she needs them all! Also, is it normal for this breed to be so bald at this age? All my others except for one are completely and beautifully feathered out. I have a BLRW that's only about 90% feathered out, but that's still a lot better than my half-feathered Rain.

 

[sourland]

I would provide additional feed and water stations to assure that she gets enough to eat and drink. I'd be reluctant to isolate her unless she is severely abused as reintroduction can be difficult.

 

[LaFleche]

I would deworm her as worms often are the cause of nutrient deficiencies leading to underdevelopment.

 

[happychicken2435]

I would deworm her as worms often are the cause of nutrient deficiencies leading to underdevelopment.

X2

 

[elphabafalls]

I would provide additional feed and water stations to assure that she gets enough to eat and drink. I'd be reluctant to isolate her unless she is severely abused as reintroduction can be difficult.

We've been shopping for more feeding stations just for a better alternatives since they've been roosting on top of the containers, so we'll have more soon. Thank you. And, yes, I believe you're 100% correct about reintroducing them. We added Rain and the BLRW later than the rest of the flock. After we got them, we suspected that the BLRW may be ill. Since they came from the same hatchery, we quarantined Rain with the BLRW. Even though they were only away for a few day, reintroducing them has been rougher than I ever imagined. Thanks for the advice.

 

[elphabafalls]

I would deworm her as worms often are the cause of nutrient deficiencies leading to underdevelopment.

What do you recommend for deworming at this age?

 

[LaFleche]

I use Flubendazole 5-% but I do not know it is available in your country. But Safeguard would be just as good.