Frazzle or defective bantam frizzle cochin ~ advice please

[chickenluvin]

One of my bantam frizzle cochins is having some difficulties with feather development. I was told they were all bred smooth to frizzle but I think I have a frazzle & need advice. I am relatively new (2nd yr.) at this wonderful chicken thing!
Description... 10 weeks old & about 1/2 the size of my other 4 cochins...tiny! There is no fluffy, downy appearance at all like the others & you can see skin through all of the 'skinny' feathers up close & all bare skin under both wings that you can see much of the time because of poor feather development. A lot of the feathers never fully opened & still have quill coverings at the skin level. No flight feathers developed at all...just some very short spiny thick quills curled under the edge of the wing & must be uncomfortable against the bare skin under the wings. He/she is bright & feisty otherwise.
SO.. is there anything I can do to help this little one? I am also concerned about our harsh, cold winters & whether he/she could survive? I only have one coop which is not heated although I do plan on a flat panel radiant heater for the harsher nights.
Thank you kindly for any advice or experiences!

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Could you share a picture? I had 2 frazzles once, one we culled at 8 weeks after reading all the doom and gloom, the other I couldn't bring myself to cull as well because it felt wrong. The second one lived to about 3 years of age, went through 2 Wisconsin winters without any extra heat, he spent the summers getting more naked until by fall he was nearly totally naked. He grew his over curly feathers back during the molt.

Back than I fed a layer ration to everyone and roosters died younger, so I'm assuming that's why he went so young. He did shiver a bit during winter but never got frostbite.

There are certain frizzle lines that can be so inbred that chickens are pretty much naked and generally don't survive. Hopefully you are feeding a good grower ration which is important for proper growth. Adding in a daily treat of scrambled eggs can help them grow in feathers quicker.

 

[chickenluvin]

Could you share a picture? I had 2 frazzles once, one we culled at 8 weeks after reading all the doom and gloom, the other I couldn't bring myself to cull as well because it felt wrong. The second one lived to about 3 years of age, went through 2 Wisconsin winters without any extra heat, he spent the summers getting more naked until by fall he was nearly totally naked. He grew his over curly feathers back during the molt.

Back than I fed a layer ration to everyone and roosters died younger, so I'm assuming that's why he went so young. He did shiver a bit during winter but never got frostbite.

There are certain frizzle lines that can be so inbred that chickens are pretty much naked and generally don't survive. Hopefully you are feeding a good grower ration which is important for proper growth. Adding in a daily treat of scrambled eggs can help them grow in feathers quicker.

 

[chickenluvin]

Thank you oldhenlikesdog! I will go try to get a pic or 2. Also all of my birds have healthy looking feathers except for this one... These are dull, skinny & almost greasy looking & feeling, on top of quills coming out of the skin & not all of them opening. Initially s/he looks almost feathered (but badly) but when you part the feathers everywhere, there are only about half (& maybe even less) of what there should be. I also notice that the short prickly quills seem to be bothering her/him. I do feed them good quality food & practice extra good chicken keeping. I really love them. Off to try this pic thing & get it posted soon...

 

[chickenluvin]

As you can see, s/he has no flight feathers at all.. just sharp curled stubs & can't even get on the roost. Also naked under the wings, neck, top of legs & very thin everywhere. Quills are embedded in the skin throughout the body. I can tell s/he is uncomfortable... but still feisty! Feathers are dull. thin & feel coarse & oily (not soft). S/he's a little more than 10 weeks & has been like this from the get go & is sooooo very tiny compared to the others (1/2 size). S/he doesn't seem to be moulting yet & all the rest of the flock are. Heck there are still quills just sitting there unopened & in the skin.
Any thoughts on how this wee one will do or what I should do? I want to do the right thing with this sweetie.
Thank you!!

ps...the 3rd pic is of her neck & when you part what little feathers she has... her whole body has bare spots like that or partially opened quills that have never finished opening plus quills under the skin that just stopped growing.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Hmm, can't tell if she's a frizzle or frazzled from your photos. Her feathers don't look over curled, so I think maybe she's a frizzle. There are certain spots on them like under the wings where there aren't feathers. I would wait and see how she goes. Maybe try to give her some extra protein treats or a bit of boss for extra oil.

Is she a bantam? Are the others bantams or standards?

She's young yet, she hasn't gotten her adult feathers yet, so things could change for her over the next month or two. Hopefully she stays feisty.

 

[chickenluvin]

Hmm, can't tell if she's a frizzle or frazzled from your photos. Her feathers don't look over curled, so I think maybe she's a frizzle. There are certain spots on them like under the wings where there aren't feathers. I would wait and see how she goes. Maybe try to give her some extra protein treats or a bit of boss for extra oil.

Is she a bantam? Are the others bantams or standards?

She's young yet, she hasn't gotten her adult feathers yet, so things could change for her over the next month or two. Hopefully she stays feisty.

 

[chickenluvin]

She's a bantam as well as the other 4 of the same bantam (I have standard chickens too) & she looks nothing like the other black bantam frizzle cochins. The others are twice her size, fluffy, soft & thick & their flight feathers came in about 8 weeks ago. She is very thin on feathers everywhere & most of the feathers she has are skinny & stiff because the quills aren't opening & there is little to no fluff. There are quills everywhere on her body under the skin that are just sitting there (for many weeks) & skin everywhere where there is nothing at all when you part what feathers she has. The 3rd pic is her neck. it is like that everywhere on her.. no feathers or prickles when you part her curls. Her flight feathers never came in & again are just thick prickles sitting there about 1/4 inch long & those seem to bother her. The pics are hard to show what's going on. I have to be careful holding her because of all the unopened quills, especially sitting in under her skin. She does not feel soft at all.. more like a straw broom (lol) & it's like everything just totally stopped growing or plain didn't grow early on. Hard to explain.
Anyway, I do appreciate your help & I will wait it out to see if anything changes with more time. She never looked/grew right from the start so my guess is maybe a genetic defect & like you said maybe too much inbreeding.
I just want to be her to be more comfortable & warm when she needs it. Our winters where I live in Canada can be a brute. She needs her coat!
I'm feeding them mealworms as treats most days but will up her protein a bit.
Thank you for your help & responses!
I took a peek at all of your beautiful animals! Wow. Amazing pics!

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

I had forgotten I had this picture, not the best, but this was one of my frazzled at about 8 weeks, so I had forgotten the feathers didn't curl until they got older. With you description I think it probably is a frazzle, sorry about the dark picture.



Here you can vaguely see his head peeking between the nice frizzles.



This was the frazzled we kept fully feathered, sorry it's a bit blurry. You can see the curl the feathers will eventually get.

Hopefully she will do okay. Mine was a rooster, so there was no feather wearing from mating, but he eventually get pretty bald by seasons end. She may need something like a hen saddle when she's older.

Thank you for the compliment on my pictures.

 

[chickenluvin]

Thanks for the pics! Yes that is more like her but a bit different. Your frazzle is totally adorable all grown up. I'm glad you kept him in spite of his curls. I will prepare for getting mine a wee saddle. Hope they come in xx-small!
Have a great day.