Need help

[NH_Chicks_And_Guineas]

Hello,
Our 17 week old chicken is losing feathers. It keeps digging and lying on the ground. Another chicken keeps following it and lays down with it while and kind of nudges it over. I saw a couple Guineas and Chickens picking at the area. Should I be concerned. I'm new to this. First flock. Had them since 1 day old. I attached a pic of it laying down and standing up.

Thank you for your help

 

[FortCluck]

It looks like it might be mites and the chicken is trying to dig a hole so it can do a dust bath. There are powders you can use to kill the mites (I don't remember the name of the one that people recommend, but I'm sure someone will comment it) and you should deep clean your coop from top to bottom.

 

[chickens really]

It's going through a juvenile molt and trying to dust bath I'm thinking.

 

[chickens really]

How big is your run area? Adding sand is a great dust bath

 

[FortCluck]

Chickens do not molt until they are 16 to 18 months of age after they are 12 weeks and get their feathers in. Losing feathers at 17 weeks would be a sign of something wrong such as parasites, pecking by others, or other medical reasons.

What type of feed do you feed them?

What size is there run?

How big is their coop?

Do any other chickens have this issue?

 

[chickens really]

Chickens do not molt until they are 16 to 18 months of age, which is called a juvenile molt. Losing feathers this early would be a sign of something wrong such as parasites, pecking by others, or other medical reasons.

What type of feed do you feed them?

What size is there run?

How big is their coop?

Do any other chickens have this issue?

That's not true...

 

[FortCluck]

That's not true...

Their fluff is lost a bit from 6 to 8 days old. The rest of their fluff is lost from 8 to 12 weeks old... This is the where they replace their fluff with feathers. This is usually when people start to see if their chicken is a pullet or a cockerel.

Then they molt around 16 to 18 months...

 

[chickens really]

Their first molt is from 6 to 8 days old. Their second molt is from 8 to 12 weeks old... This is the molt where they replace their fluff with feathers. The second molt is usually when people start to see if their chicken is a pullet or a cockerel.

Then they molt around 16 to 18 months...

Well I'm sorry but you are wrong. Growing in feathers isn't a molt it's just growing in feathers. And roughly around 4 months they lose the young bird coloured feathers which is a juvenile molt to look like an adult bird...Then won't molt fully into adult plumage till around 18 months or the fall of their second year..

 

[slordaz]

sounds like dusting them or spraying with Permethine is going to be needed and , you need to do all the birds, their coop and roosts, then again in 10 days to get any just hatching, I would get some blue Kote if the others are pecking at the bald spot

 

[FortCluck]

Well I'm sorry but you are wrong. Growing in feathers isn't a molt it's just growing in feathers. And roughly around 4 months they lose the young bird coloured feathers which is a juvenile molt to look like an adult bird...Then won't molt fully into adult plumage till around 18 months or the fall of their second year..

Well I've never experienced losing feathers after 12 weeks. Guess I'm just not experienced in chickens after owning them for over 8 years and I won't help. Thank you for your knowledge