Hi everyone! I have recently started my "homestead" with six chicks and 5 ducklings. The chicks are about 3.5 weeks old, the ducklings are about 2.5 weeks old. I've noticed that I can see little pin feathers coming on their backs and butts, but just today I noticed that two of them are losing their fuzz on their neck and wings but not getting feathers yet? Is this normal? I'm feeding them starter feed (non medicated of course). I'm putting a picture too so you guys can see.
Precious little. Here are my thoughts. It may not be a concern, but I don't recall my Runners having bare spots like that. Do they get food with water 24/7? I recall one case of ducklings gorging themselves on food because they were fed at intervals, and that stretched the skin on their necks and made bare spots. How much room do they have? Storey's Guide says that overcrowding can cause feather eating and poking each other. What is the brooder temperature? Could something be irritating their skin and they are scratching too much? Are they getting supplemental niacin or B vitamins? Chick starter doesn't contain the optimum amount of niacin.
Thank you for replying! I give them food in the morning before work, when I get home and before bed. I don't recall it ever being empty when I fed them again. They are probably a bit crowded but I'm not sure what else to put them in! They're in the house so it has to be water proof because bless their messy little hearts, they will ruin my carpet! I even thought about putting the pine shavings in the bath tub to give them more room! Brooder temp stays around 75-80 I wouldnt think anything could be irritating them. Nothing has changed in their environment since we got them... The starter their eating is for ducks and other fowl, so it's different than chick starter.
I can appreciate the water concerns, thanks for clarifying their feed. Well, here are some ideas about water. Maybe some of it will help. https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/641902/created-a-water-saver-for-my-duck-brooder https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/679433/water-water-everywhere/10 https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/858161/feed-water-solution-for-brooder#post_12901321 http://frankiemakes.blogspot.ca/2012/06/watering-solution-for-ducks.html https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/259876/do-your-ducks-have-water-at-night/10#post_13568197 post number 8 from this https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/959603/ducklings-getting-stuck-on-their-backs#
