My Ugly Chicken: Bad Genes or Health Issue?

[jlady2001]

I purchased 2 Lakenvelders that were a few days old at a Farm Supply early May of this year. So they are both now about 14 weeks. From the beginning one of them looked kind of funny because there were no little feathers on its wings like the other of the same age and it never did feather out right. It is almost featherless and pretty pathetic looking. Looks only a mother could love. I don't think it's parasites or mange because I would think it would have passed them to my other 60 birds. It acts fine, but I am worried that it won't make it through the winter. Has anyone had a chicken look this way? Do you think something is wrong with it or did it just get the short end of the stick when it comes to good chicken genes? Thank you for any feedback!

 

[Folly's place]

Naked neck genes in there? He does look pretty sad. Mary

 

[Kelsie2290]

Poor boy, he is funny looking. Makes you wonder if he has some feather mutation http://www.edelras.nl/chickengenetics/mutations2.html People get Silkies and Naked Necks etc through the winters, so I would think he will be fine if you just keep an eye on him if it gets really cold.

 

[iwiw60]

Looks to me he's a cross of Turkin and something else...but I think he's adorable!!

 

[Cindy in PA]

I had two Columbian Wyandottes in a group of 25 from Meyer a few years ago that looked the same. It appeared they were very late to feather out and ended up normal looking in the end. They were ugly like that for quite awhile.