Help..what is wrong with my chick?

[emmyn74]

I consider myself very knowledgeable in raising chickens as I have had them for about 20 years . This one stumps me..I have a Sussex bantam cockerel...about 5 weeks old...he has lost almost all the fuzz on his head except for a tiny patch at the very top that consists of probably 4 actual feathers all stacked on top of one another..makes him look like he has a small "tuft". No new feathers took the place of the fuzz on his head or the top of his neck. His skin seems "thickened" around his face and comb..not swelled..just thicker. I also noticed that one of his legs is noticeably larger than the other...the whole leg..not just the joint...though the foot seems fine. Any ideas? I have searched online and found nothing similar to this.

 

[emmyn74]

I forgot to mention..he has no problems walking..none of the other chickens are picking on him...and he doesn't seem I'll in any way..it's just his appearance.

 

[Farmgal101]

I forgot to mention..he has no problems walking..none of the other chickens are picking on him...and he doesn't seem I'll in any way..it's just his appearance.

Can we see a picture of him,It will help us to see exactly what is going on,that does sound a bit strange.

 

[emmyn74]

I will get a picture of him tonight when I get home from work...I do have an older picture (couple weeks old) but its doesn't show his legs..

 

[emmyn74]

I had my husband take a pic and send it to me ..the pic of the back of the head was taken this morning...and the pic of the side of the head was taken last week. Its hard to see it under the fuzzy feathers. It almost looks scab-like. I'm trying to get him to send me pics of the legs now.

 

[FlyingNunFarm]

It looks like cradle cap. What babies get... not sure if chickens get it. There are various treatments. Some could be worth a try.

 

[azygous]

Have you examined all your chickens for signs of parasites such as lice and mites? Or have these chicks not been moved out of their indoor brooder yet?

I suspect genetic quirks. Genes controlling the rate of feathering may be slightly flawed. I would expect this chick to get normal feathers eventually, though.

 

[getaclue]

I think I would start with a q tip, and some baby oil on it.

 

[chickens really]

Is he getting pecked?

 

[emmyn74]

Have you examined all your chickens for signs of parasites such as lice and mites? Or have these chicks not been moved out of their indoor brooder yet?

I suspect genetic quirks. Genes controlling the rate of feathering may be slightly flawed. I would expect this chick to get normal feathers eventually, though.

They had not been moved out to our barn yet...he is in with 4 other chicks and they r all fine. I was hoping he would get them in eventually...so far it doesn't look like any are even trying to come in on his neck.