Is this mites? Feather pecking? Some kind of rare chicken cancer???

[alicefelldown]

1) What type of bird, age and weight.
Mutt, ~ 6 weeks.

3) How long has the bird been exhibiting symptoms?
Hatched with normal fuzz/down on it's head - but the normal feathers never grew in.

5) What happened, if anything that you know of, that may have caused the situation.
Would it make sense that the head feathers are this slow to grow? The rest of the body is fully feathered.

10) If you have a picture of the wound or condition, please post it. It may help.

11) Describe the housing/bedding in use
Outside, grow out pen. Pine shavings in a wooden shipping crate (sideways), with the rest being dirt.

 

[alicefelldown]

Shameless bump - my chick looks like a gross old man / alien thing.

 

[lemurchaser]

They can feather out oddly, but the skin underneath looks a little thickened. Check for mites and lice by looking around the vent and under the feathers. Lice you'll see running away, mites will cling to the feather shafts.

Also make sure another chicken isn't doing this to him. Sit quietly and observe them for a while.

 

[alicefelldown]

The skin is definitely thickened, almost like a scab that won't peel off. I've searched the chick quite thoroughly and haven't seen mites, lice, or any other creepy crawly.

I've also spent hours upon hours watching them and haven't seen any aggression, fighting, or plucking since they moved from the brooder to to the grow out pen.

Should I treat for mites/lice anyway? Is there anything I can do to make this chick not look so deformed? Thanks!

 

[NicInNC]

I never saw mites on my silkie until I bathed her. When I was drying her off with the towel, the towel was COVERED with crawling mites and they were crawling all over around her eyes. I guess the water and shampoo ticked them off. I immediately treated her with Sevin Dust and then retreated all my chickens and their coop with D.E. It's amazing how fast they heal up once you kill the mites.