Chewed up back feathers on 2 month old chicks

[misserink]

I've seen missing feathers before, but not partially eaten feathers. I noticed this on 5 of 10 chicks after it rained for several days. They are free range all day until nightfall when they're locked in. Otherwise in good health.

Has anyone seen this before? What can I do to stop it?

 

[Bridebeliever]

That's one of the weirdest things I've seen. Scratching my head?? Are adults doing this to them or are they doing to each other? And how old are the chicks? I've read that lack of protein can cause feather eating. Are they on a good chick starter or grower feed?

 

[misserink]

They are two months old and are kept in a spacious secondary brooder away from the adults. The adults and other juvenile are housed about 100 feet away and are not doing this.

These guys are fed well with the finest organic starter feed, plus healthy scraps from the kitchen and free ranging all day.

One thought I had was they might be outgrowing this space they like to hide under (a piece of plywood on top of a pallet), but this sort of thing didn't happen to the other generations of chicks that have been housed here before.

Rodents?

I'm at a loss trying to figure out what is going on. I just hope it goes away without getting worse.

 

[Bridebeliever]

Oh dear! I hope it's not rodents! Maybe give them more space like you mentioned. Try a little increased protein in the form of scrambled eggs for a couple days too.