Chick going bald?

[Duckduckchicken03]

Hi! Can anyone tell me why this chick is nearly bald? Every day he or she has less and less of its fuzz. I bought 26 chicks from tractor supply and this is the only one that has this problem. It already looked like it had lost some when I got it home from the store (I didn’t look closely at them in the store), and each day it’s gotten worse. I’ve never had a chick like this before. It has been eating and drinking ever since it came home but is still smaller than the rest.

 

[Debbie292d]

Hi, and welcome to BYC!

Are all of your chicks the same breed or perhaps could this one be a different breed? Farm stores are phenomenal for mixing up chicks, and when they're little, some are nearly impossible to tell apart. This one could just be on a different growth rate than the others. I see little pin feathers coming in, so it's replacing the fuzz.

To be on the safe side, I'd give them some poultry vitamins every other day for a week or two. We use Poultry Cell or Nutri-Drench. Even if it's nothing, the vitamins might help it grow feathers a smidge faster.

One thing I'd worry about though, now that it sort of has some skin showing, if the others might pick on it. I'd keep an eye on it.