Chick has raised fluff on back, very tender

[DoubleBoop]

One of my just under 3 week old ISA Brown chicks has raised fluff on her back and the feathers coming in are almost pointed straight out instead of behind her. Any time one of the other girls touches it, or she touches it, she cries out loudly in pain. What could be the cause, and is this something to worry about, or will it get better on it's own? All the other chicks are flat and smooth there.

 

[azygous]

Those pin feathers do cause discomfort. Try to avoid touching her on her back and handling her unnecessarily. As for whether the feathers are coming in at the wrong angle, that remains to be seen. I doubt there's anything you can do about it, regardless. Sometimes genetics throws a curve ball when it comes to how a chicken feathers out. It will be interesting to see how those feathers turn out. Keep your thread updated.

 

[DoubleBoop]

You got it. The feathers there are about 1/4" long, Just little toothpick tips sticking out. I wonder if she could have gotten dirt under a feather dust bathing and caused the skin there to get inflamed or anything. I can't get a good look at it myself but when she was messing with it herself it looked like there may be a sore there or the skin could just be really red. My 8 chicks are about to go in the coop in a day or two permanently and other than one having an impacted crop for a couple days and recovering within 24 hours they've been super healthy.

The do like to step on each other a lot too, so maybe that has something to do with it. I put them in the coop during the day and bring them in at night. They jump on each other when they are above each other. I even had one jump from the nesting box area of the coop to the top of my head when I was kneeling in the coop. Crazy birds. Caught me by surprise!

 

[azygous]

Aren't baby chicks fun? And such cheap, wholesome entertainment. Better than TV.

If you see red skin, it wouldn't be from dirt bathing. Dirt bathing is actually how chickens soothe their skin and condition and clean their feathers.

Red skin could be from mites. You need to look very closely, especially around the vent area. Even if you seen nothing, you need to inspect the premises at night for signs of mites. If you see no sign of parasites, there probably is nothing to be concerned about.

 

[DoubleBoop]

Ok, I'll do research on mites and see. Could this also be from fighting? I walked in on a couple of them fighting for about 5 seconds last night, and I don't think they would fight when I'm there. They're very sneaky birds and like to watch me as much as I watch them. I have noticed patterns showing which one of them is the top bird though. She gets the corner of the pen to watch me and first dibs on any hand fed food.

 

[Chickassan]

That's a genetic whoopsie,one of mine had a wing like that. Good news is as the chick ages it will improve and by chicken puberty you'll never even know.

 

[DoubleBoop]

That's good. I hate to see my girls in pain!