Scruffy chicken?

[freshwaterchicken]

My chicken, Soap, is a giant blue cochin. She's 16 weeks old and her feathers look scruffier compared the other two (also 16 weeks old). She dust bathes and preens so I'm wondering if this is genetic. She doesn't seem ill at all.

 

[3KillerBs]

Blue?

Or Lavender with the shredder gene?

 

[freshwaterchicken]

Blue?

Or Lavender with the shredder gene?

That's right, she is a blue (or that's how she was sold to me)

 

[-Olive-]

Blue?

Or Lavender with the shredder gene?

Yeah it does look like a genetic trait rather than a health issue or something wrong doesn’t it?

 

[3KillerBs]

Yeah it does look like a genetic trait rather than a health issue or something wrong doesn’t it?

I recently realized that at least one of my supposed Blue Australorps is a Lavender Orpington because she started to display feather shredding.

I'd had the Australorps in the same order with some "Asst. Brown Layers" and had thought they'd just given me more Australorps.

 

[freshwaterchicken]

Yeah, I bought her from my local farm store. They weren't super clear about which bin of chicks was which other than, these are for sure Cochins (their feathery pants and toes are so cute).
That's good though that it looks genetic. She and her sisters are active, eating and drinking well, and growing. They're not itching excessively or sneezing or wheezing so I was hoping it was genetic.