help...losing feathers

[Darklingstorm]

I have a BO who is 5 weeks old and has almost all her feathers in (minus a few still coming in on the head). I also have 3 Production Reds, 1 EE and 1 Jersey Giant, they are 4 weeks old. They sleep in a 5' x 5' brooder box at night and 5' x 8' run during the day. They are all eating chick starter and have plenty of water.

I found a large feather in the brooder today, I didn't think much about it since it was only one. When I checked on my chicks earlier there was another large feather and by the color of it, it belongs to my BO. A while later I found another one. All the feathers are light in color so I believe they are all from my BO.

Is this normal? I know they replace their baby feathers but do they molt again while young or just when they turn 18 months?
The feathers look perfectly normal and I can't find any injuries to her. I don't even know which feathers these are (tail, wing, etc.); I'm new to all this.
I haven't seen anyone peeking her, she is top hen-to-be too, so the others pretty much do as she says.

 

[purpletree23]

Sit and watch them tomorrow. She could be pulling her own feathers out because she is irritated by lice or mites or there could be a bully pulling them out. If the feathers were being replaced by new ones there would be a sharp feather pushing through the skin where the feathers are missing.

I would check all of them especially the Buff for mites and lice.

 

[teach1rusl]

As long as the chick looks fine and is behaving normally, I wouldn't worry about it. I don't consider that molting, but they will continue to feather out (and lose other feathers) for several more weeks. I find little feathers now and then with my little group of chicks (a week younger than yours). Now, if you start to notice any balding areas, THEN I'd start to worry a bit...

 

[Darklingstorm]

Here is one of the feathers that she lost. I'm not really worried about it but I also don't want her to be getting sick and get the rest sick. I've also checked her over for lice and mites and didn't find any.
This feather has frizzy ends, so is she molting them out or do you think I have a bully picking on her?

 

[teach1rusl]

Just looks like a baby feather to me, with those little dandilion looking fuzzies at the ends...

I don't see anything that makes me think picking...