Chick pulling out its own tail feathers?

erinchelsea

Songster
9 Years
May 23, 2010
362
8
134
Webster City, IA
This afternoon when I checked on my 2-week old chicks (brown-egg laying assortment from the Hatchery) I noticed one of the chicks peeping like it was in distress. It was frantically pulling at it's own tail feathers and peeping. I picked her up and looked and it didn't look like anything was wrong with her vent, just most of the fuzz and feathers were missing. I put some bag balm on there since that's all I had. The other chicks don't seem to be bothering her and none of them have been picking. They are under a red light in a good-size brooder in our basement, plenty of clean food & water and seem to be comfortable. I did isolate her but not sure if it will get better since she's doing it to herself!!! What else can I do and what may be causing her to do this?
 
I don't know but something must be bothering her, has she ever had pasty butt? does her poop look normal.. did you check her over for mites?
 
She's never had pasty butt...I didn't see any mites...and poop in the isolation box looks okay. She seems a little quieter now that I've isolated her, hopefully that is a good thing.
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I have a year old hen that still does the same thing... I give them more protein and it doesn't make any difference... it's a nervous tick she's had since hatching... she lays large, dark eggs (marans) and now she's started picking the roos butt feathers and some from his neck. He looks like a refugee.
 
I sprinkle DE on my chicks backs and all over the brooder, within a day they settle. If it's a little later on when the feathers start to come in, that may be bothering them, too. If she is still a fluff ball, try the DE.
 

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