New Chick Owner w/ some Q's

[adoptedbyachicken]

It depends on the creek if it's safe to have your chickens near it. Mine free range and go to the creek I have all the time for a drink of water, but it's got a very gradual shallow bank and the water is not moving fast. If your creek is strong or has a sharp bank I would not let them have access to it. Chickens don't swim.

For the feathers you either have a lice problem or feather picking going on, or as stated they are the cornish cross chicks that just grow so fast in body they don't get the feather cover fast enough that they don't look bald.

 

[MTchick]

I wonder if you are mistaking normal feather development for a problem. Feathers grow in along "tracts" and the spaces between the tracts are completely naked of all fluff. If your birds are feathering up in a particularly awkward and sudden way, it might look very naked in places but it could be totally normal.

Some of my chicks went through periods of total fluff loss under this wings and along their necks that happened before their pin feathers fluffed out, and thus when the chicks were picked up and looked at closely it appeared that they had huge bald patches. A week or two later the bald patches were covered with pin feathers... no problem!

If you see the other chicks plucking the feathers out, or if these chicks seem "off" in another way, you likely have another issue. But just bald sections on a three week old chick, to me, suggests normal feather growth awkwardness that they should grow out of soon.

-MTchick

 

[Chickenuser]

Thank you sooo much. I will wait and see. If I see any more development in either the other chicks or these ones, then I will post right away.

All of you have been so much help.