chick with ragged feathers

[cluck-cluck]

Hi everyone,

I've been trying to find an answer to this, but have had no luck. I started noticing ragged looking feathers in my serama chick at about 2-3 weeks of age. I can't figure out why his feathers look so scrappy. Is this heredity, or can it be an illness? I started giving him extra olive oil about a week ago in his feed, but don't see any improvement (too soon?) He lives with one other chick who is also a boy, perhaps it's from jousting? They are now 5 weeks old. I don't see any mites or lice on them, they seem healthy.




The one in front

Any help would be very appreciated! Thank you so much!

 

[Harry Rooster]

Just a stab in the dark, but what kind of bedding do you use? Since you don't think it would be mites or parasites of some kind, could it be some sort of allergic reaction? I personally don't think it would be from the jousting, but I don't know a whole lot either. Could it be a vitamin deficency? BTW, I love your avitar, that was my favorite book when I was a child "Are You My Mother?" I used to get my mom to read it to me every night until I had memorized it by heart, and even though I was too young to read, I knew what each page said, word for word.

 

[cluck-cluck]

LOL, I also loved that book! I felt so sympathetic to the chick

Well, I'm using pine shavings. Perhaps I'll go find some vitamins? See if that helps. It's like the feathers can't hold a zip... Will look again for parasites again tonight?

Thanks for your help

 

[Harry Rooster]

Sorry I couldn't help you more, but maybe someone who knows more about these things will post for you. Before you give vitamins, you probably need to wait a little, or maybe if no one answers, post again, because some wiser folks on here say giving chicks too much of certain vitamins can cause real bad problems, like paralasis and other serious things. The reason I was told about this is because I was having to give some pullets electrolytes because of a respiratory illness, and was told not to give it too long because of this. So if it's not a emergency, try to find out more, or like I said maybe someone like dawg, speckledhills, michael apple, chickmania, or someone informed like these will answer you.

 

[tadpole98]

I wouldn't wait to give vitamins, it can't hurt.

 

[TurtlePowerTrav]

Is it possible they are the product os a Serama/Silkie mix? Their feathers look like a mix with Silkie in them. That would explain the broken barbs on the feathers.

 

[tadpole98]

Is it possible they are the product os a Serama/Silkie mix? Their feathers look like a mix with Silkie in them. That would explain the broken barbs on the feathers.

Very true, because in that second photo the other rooster looked like a frizzled silkied serama

 

[cluck-cluck]

I was wondering if that might be the case. There would have to be some modifiers or something to tone down the silkie gene or something, because it's not supposed to express unless the animal has two silkie genes. But those modifiers are everywhere!

He might end up being a scrappy little boy I guess then. I guess I'll just keep an eye out for parasites and other signs of ill health, and find some vitamins tomorrow, see if that'll help. It's so symmetrical that it does seem like it's just how he is...... Thanks again everyone!