Chick with missing feathers

[Minanora]

Hi there,

Chicks are 4 weeks old tomorrow.

Feeding them 18% unmedicated. Was feeding them 24% and cut down to only 18% a week and a half ago.

They are indoors, have a light. Clean water and feeder. Only one chick has this spot of missing feathers. There are 10 chicks together.

3 prairie bluebell (these do pick on the others)

3 Welbar ( the one with the missing neck feathers is a Welbar)

4 speckled Sussex (the most passive of the group)

I did not see mites or bugs on any of the chicks. Kinda looks like trauma. There's an area with red under the skin at the follicles.


Any idea what happened to her? They all act fine. I'm thinking she may have gotten caught on the fencing?

 

[nuthatched]

They're picking each other. Did it happen after you switched feed?

 

[Minanora]

They're picking each other. Did it happen after you switched feed?

You could say that. I only gave them 5# of the 24% and because of that small volume they actually were barely on full 24% for a few days. I gradually increased for a week, and then reduced over a weeks time after the 2 days of full 24%.

I watched them for an hour this evening. There wasn't much picking happening that I saw. Just mild chest challenges and the occasional face peck at the feeder/water. Always the bluebells at the top of the pecking order. But no full on aggression.