loosing feathers

[cheapcheap_jeepjeep]

My chicks are dropping there baby feathers. Are they to do that? and abiout what age if so.

 

[justusnak]

baby feathers? How old are they and how many are they loseing? I mean....are they going bald or are you just finding a feather here and there?

 

[cheapcheap_jeepjeep]

Sorry should have explain that better. well it is just a few here and there but they seem to be all from the same chick my little silver hamburg. Then there is what I call baby fuzz that is all over sometimes from all of them 4 in total.

 

[justusnak]

Sounds to me this might be a normal thing. Just make sure she is eating and drinking...and her poo is "normal" Maybe a few vitamins in thier water.....keep us updated!

 

[chickbea]

The first real feathers start coming out in just a week or so after hatch; generally they push out with a little tuft of fluff stuck to the end of the feather. After several weeks, and depending on the breed, the "baby" feathers will start dropping out and larger ones grow in.

 

[Kirstyaa]

my baby pecks her feathers a lot, is this normal? I tried to check if she has any bugs or anything but i couldnt see anything. shes about a week old.

 

[chickbea]

As chickens start growing, the new feathers come out covered in a clear sheath. This sheath splits open to reveal the fresh, new feather. This is a fairly itchy process, and the chicken will pick and preen at the sheaths to help remove them. This is normal, and will be how the feathers grow back in after every molt. Some individual birds seem to have a tougher time removing the sheaths than others. One of my hens has this trouble, and she loves to sit in my lap while I scratch her head and neck - she practically melts!

 

[chickbea]

Ooops - I meant to add this...
It would be highly unlikely for a 1 week old chick to have external parasites, unless it came from a place where it had close contact with adult birds, or if you house it with adults. If not, I wouldn't worry!

 

[Kirstyaa]

Thankyou, thats a perfect answer