What is going on with the feathering on this bird?

[Okie Amazon]

This EE chick is NOT feathering normally. "Nekkid" is the same age as the bottom pictured bird, who you can see is almost fully feathered. I have watched carefully, and this one is NOT being plucked by the others; the feathers just aren't growing in. It's not that he/she isn't growing - in fact, it's one of the biggest EEs I have. Anyone seen anything like this before? I have gone over it with an eagle eye for mites/lice - nothing.

 

[violetsky]

Maybe it's putting all its energy towards body growth and will focus on
feathers soon. I've heard roosters feather out later than hens.

 

[AndreaKingsley]

I have a Rhode Island Red chick that is feathering out just like yours- the other of the same breed is normal like the others. I am guessing mine is a rooster, it certainly has the attidude. I would love to know what yours turned out to be or if you figured out what, if anything is wrong.

 

[carrlr]

Rooster??

 

[gritsar]

Quote:
X2?

 

[ChooksChick]

That's a boy with the slow feathering gene. It's hilarious when they do that. I have a Marans like that, and he's HUGE...and nekkid.

 

[Okie Amazon]

Yes, the bottom pictured bird is a rooster. "Rusty", because his crow sounds like a long unused screen door!


Unfortunately, Naked Nellie passed away a few days ago. She never did feather normally, so I have to assume that something else was not quite right about her. She was always very stand-offish with the other chickens; preferred to hang around in the coop by herself rather than going out much. Probably because she wasn't feeling well, I guess. The others did not pick on her either, she just seemed to prefer being by herself. She did seem to eat enough and wasn't skinny, though. Just found her dead in the coop one morning, looked like she fell off the perch.

 

[afj6710]

oh no! Sorry that you lost one of your birds.

I was about to post that a couple of my mutt cockerals feathered the same way when I saw your update. So sad.

 

[carrlr]

Sorry about Nellie, I'm sure you provided her a good life. I hadn't noticed how old the original post was.