feathers

[fowler_chick]

my chickens are 11 weeks old now and i noticed that there are a lot of feathers in the coop then normal...is there some thing i should be watching out for?

 

[Meadow lane]

My girls are 12 weeks old and I am noticing the same thing too. Look forward to what other say.

 

[threehorses]

Mine, at that age, replaced a few feathers and grew new ones in. Pick up your babies and examine them one at a time carefully. (You should do this at least weekly anyway at this stage. We do it every other day.)

See if you find "pinfeathers", feathers in a casing, coming in. Those are their new feathers. If you find those coming in, likely they're growing new feathers and replacing old.

Also look very carefully at their feathers, their skin, under their down, under their wings, etc. Look for anything moving, or for l ittle white clusters of eggs anywhere on them. Look for redness around the vent, signs of broken off feathers, etc. (The feathers that you're finding - is the quill intact and empty at the end - no meat?) You're going to want to rule out mites and lice. Mites only come out at night, then sporadically, so take a few nights this week and go out and check then. Turn the lights on, but use a flashlight to really check them carefully. If you find mites or lice, post here in THIS thread and we'll tell you how to handle them. Some of us will be subscribed to this post looking for updates and waiting to help.

Also, what feed are you feeding them? Is it a good growing crumble for chicks with a good protein level? If you're feeding grain, is it less than 5% of their total diet? Do they get feed free-choice? Do you see any signs of fights, scrapes or sores? Any bald spots?

Also take a half hour and watch the babies. At about that age they start to pick at one another. That's about when I divide the smaller more delicate babies from the bigger ones or cockerels. Watch for bullying and feather plucking. You might want to have two grower areas.

I look forward to (both of) your replies.

 

[fowler_chick]

my husband say's i watch the chickens more then i do the t.v!!! i've checked my chicks and there isn't any form of bug's on them, i spray tea tree oil every few days in order to control the bug's, they are on a good grower crumber that i get from my local co-op grain mill that is out for them at all times, we also put a.c.v in there water every 3 days, plus a handful of veggies every day, when you mean grain do you mean as sweet feed (horse feed) type grain?,

 

[threehorses]

By grain, I mean any grains at all other than the ones that are built into their crumbles/pellets. Those I don't worry about as their nutrients are balanced out by other nutrients in the feed.

I was thinking more like scratch grains, corn, etc. Some people, particularly around here, believe that adding mostly corn or even scratch is a good diet. It's just not really. So I just wanted to make sure your babies are getting an excellent diet, which apparently they are.

That's always wonderful to hear!

By the way, I watch what I call "chicken TV". I have been quarantining some of my new birds on my porch as it's very weather proof and far from the others. I have a picture window and their cages are there. So when I'm on the computer, I literally can look out and at the moment see two lovely sebright hens and a mille fleur D'Anver rooster.

It's much more entertaining than television, and even has sound (usually of the hens whining because the rooster is in the OTHER cage and not with them). So I'm with you on that!

 

[Brunty_Farms]

Threehorses... I sent you a pm.. let me know if you got it or not... Thanks....!

 

[threehorses]

Quote:
I have it and I'm working on an answer for you.

It's going to be later tonight, part I. I'm going to have to talk to a couple of people for part of it.

 

[Brunty_Farms]

Thank you so much... sorry for intuding on this post!!