No feathers

JoshJudge

In the Brooder
9 Years
Jan 21, 2011
16
0
22
I have 15 broilers that I got toward the end of September. I kept them in one of those GQF brooder cages for two and a half weeks before I put them outside. I also had 15 pullets in with them. Now all of the pullets have their feathers but the broilers I think plucked all of theirs out around the rump, breast, back, and neck but have all their wing feathers and some patches around their body and head. I plan on processing them around the first or second week of November. Will the feathers grow back? I'm worried about the unhealthy look the carcass will have because of the redness of the plucked areas. Any suggestions of what I should do?
 
The featherless birds are just slower to grow their feathers. There isn't anything wrong with them. You may need to warm them still. They shouldn't be out in the cold without feathers. They are rather nasty looking at this stage though.
 
Broilers generally seem to grow feathers poorly - they just grow so fast their feathers don't keep up. Totally normal. They probably didn't pluck their feathers out. Keep them cleanish and dry, and there is no issue with skin damage. It's just bright red due to blood, when processed and drained of blood, you can't tell the difference of the feathered or bare spots, other than less to pluck
smile.png
 
Broilers are slow to feather in and will look a little sketchy for a few weeks. Nothing amiss. All the mix of genes that go into them, their skin grows fast enough to keep them covered up, but the feathers won't keep up with it in the early and mid-stages.

They may still be a little sparse at the age you plan to process, but you should see them start to feather in to something more like a regular chicken here pretty soon.

I raise mine out to a full eight weeks and the last two they're fully "clothed" about like any other.

It's the nature of the beast.
 
Last edited:
Be thankful for the nakedness
smile.png
Less to pluck at the end! It is kinda creepy...a little disturbing...but a good thing!

Until the horrid summer we were buying them ready to butcher CHEAP from a kid that raised them to show - the first time we ever went there I remember thinking "Gee, they just don't look right for show birds"...but then I looked it up here from my phone going home...yup, they really just are that ugly
smile.png
But, like I said, SO much quicker to pluck it was ridiculous easy! It's one way they are different that can only be appreciated on processing day - until then they are just Ugly...
 
Thank you all. I did notice today the are starting to fill out alittle more in the feather area. Haha yeah they are pretty ugly without there feathers. The pullets look a lot prettier.
 
Mine are feathered out by week 3, by 1 1/2 to 2 weeks they have enough feathers if weather permits to put outside. I use Purina Chick Starter. I have FR now and they were feather out by week 2 and out side they went. If you have them in a GQF brooder probably the heat it gives them is causing them not to feather as fast.
 

New posts New threads Active threads

Back
Top Bottom