Please help! Slow growing Chick

[Fluffychicky]

I have this little 4 week old columbian wyandotte chick and she just isn't feathering in like the others. She eats and runs around and starts fights just like all the other little chicks and is the same size, but her sister of the same breed is almost fully feathered at this point and she just isn't. Her tail feathers are almost non-existent, she still has baby down on her back no saddle feathers yet, the feathers on her shoulders are coming in weird they're very short, and the feathers down the front of her neck on either side seem to be broken and pulled out. I don't know which chick is pulling out her feathers or if she's doing it she also has a sore spot where it looks like she's been pecked at on her back. I thought about separating her but all i have to put her in is a cardboard box, and I'm afraid she will get tramatized or something if I put her in solitary confinement? I feel bad for her she is so ugly looking with her wounds and broken/stunted feathers. I just have no idea what to do for her.

Please help me, help her.

 

[Judy]

I would put some BluKote or NoPic or pine tar or similar product on her to discourage the feather pulling. Unfortunately, there is always someone at the bottom of the order. You might have to remove her briefly but the trouble with doing this is, when returned, it just solidifies her place at the bottom of the pecking order.

If possible, get them outdoors, at least during the day, if they aren't already. This will distract them and let them do what they want to do which is forage. (They don't need heat now.) If you can identify one chick who is leading the feather picking, isolate that chick for a couple of days, to break up the pecking order.

 

[Fluffychicky]

Thank you this was a very helpful answer, I do let them run for an hour or two during the day with me out watching (we have a few cats that hunt here and one hawk) Their coop and run should be finished this week and maybe that will help.