Eight-week-old EE still has fuzzy neck-getting worse and looks itchy

[BackToMyRoots]

Thank goodness! I thought she/he was just special, but I was afraid I might have a massive mite or lice infestation instead.

Woodmort, I hope your little one will make it, but he/she does seem to have an even worse feathering delay than Prince(ss).

On a side note, it sounds like Princess might be a Prince, but I'll keep my hopes up until he starts to crow. He/she is really pretty where the feathers are in, and I think it's legal for me to keep a rooster, but I can't imagine it would be great for the neighbors to do so...

 

[woodmort]

I've raised close to a thousand chicks in my time and this is a first for me. I suspect it may be genetic, too much inbreeding. I was interested to see if anyone else had encounter a similar problem.

 

[Swampwood]

about the size of your EE ours Is the same way, tiny and the smallest of the flock.

 

[Swampwood]

About the size of your EE ours is the same way,smallest of the flock.

 

[BackToMyRoots]

Okay, so it's a week later and I'm leaning towards feather picking or mites/lice.

It concerns me that Princ(ess) is getting more naked-looking, not improving as one might think if this were a late-featherer issue. There are also several light-colored feathers in the run and in my yard every day now. It could be paranoia, but is seems to me that she's fluffing, preening and scratching much more than the others. Her skin looks slightly irritated, too, but it's so hot right now that all the chickens are probably flushed. There is some brown discoloration of feathers bordering some of the places where the feathers are missimg, but I see no open wounds. She's behaving normally except for the extra grooming.

Would it hurt anything for me to dust everyone with poultry dust tomorrow? Is it even possible for a chick to be attacked by mite or lice so early that she never appears to develop feathers in the infested area? Wouldn't the other chickens be showing more symptoms by now if it were lice or mites? I've watched for up to thirty minutes at a time without seeing any picking, but is there any other indication of that besides wounds and seeing the chickens pick or pick each other?

Thanks for your patience--I know this isn't an emergency, but Saturdays are the only days I can get to the hardware store before it closes, and I'd hate to think of him or her suffering for an extra week in this weather.

 

[woodmort]

On the other hand, I see no sign of irritation on my EE and as I watch, he seems to be more aggressive than the other birds so I doubt it is a pecking issue. It might be that the feathers on his head are extending further down his neck but still see no pin feathers between head and chest. Interestingly too, while all the other birds have been going in and out of the coop, I've yet to go down there and find him outside.

 

[justmeandtheflock]

Post a thread over in the emergencies, diseases section asking for advice on treating possible mites/lice in young chicks (or do a search). You should get some good advice over there. Oh, and that is a little roo. Good luck!

 

[BackToMyRoots]

Thanks for the advice--do I need to delete this somehow if I post in the other section?