First time with day-olds. Subtitle: "I've got a pecker" and other thoughts.

[ConvenientHomestead]

We bought 8 week olds last year, but decided to grow our flock in a bit more cost-effective way this year by buying day-olds. That to say, first time with babies.

The lady below started pecking/pulling her butt feathers out yesterday. We separated her to clean her up and apply some vetericyn.

Any advice?

We lost two from the 28 ordered within 24 hours despite intervention. They just refused to eat or drink. Everyone else seemed to be doing fine until this little issue.

 

[Cinnaminute]

Is this butt-feather-pulling chick eating the feathers? I'm very inexperienced (last year my first chicks were a week old when I got them, this year I had my first day old chicks) but if she's eating the feathers, maybe she could use more protein? Some scrambled egg perhaps? I'm sure someone more experienced will have better advice but this is what I personally would attempt. I had a chick this year who didn't eat and some scrambled egg was the only thing she was interested in. Might've saved her, since she also started struggling to poop without passing anything. Eating the egg seemed to set her right.

There could be plenty of other reasons too. I wish you luck! And miss feather picker a quick recovery!

 

[ConvenientHomestead]

Is this butt-feather-pulling chick eating the feathers? .... Some scrambled egg perhaps?

I've not noticed her eating them, but it's hard to keep track of over two dozen all at once lol

Some egg is easy enough to try. Thanks for the advice!

 

[Cinnaminute]

I hope it's some help. I'm sure the babies are also pretty stressed too after being born and whatever travels they were on before getting to you. You have quite a group of them too. As long as they have plenty of space, an area of warmth as well as a cooler area where they can get a break from the warmth if they want, the warm spot isn't too hot for them, they have plenty of ventilation, and there's nothing going on around them to cause them extra stress... she should stop picking and recover.

I did read somewhere where a person used a paper cup (like those little 3oz ones) that they cut the bottom out of and a slit up the side then placed it over the chicks head. Kind of like an elizabethan collar so the chick couldn't keep picking itself. So if she's still going at it despite being separated and tended to, then perhaps something like that could help as well.