Plucked chick?

Tips for successful breeding and troubleshooting breeding problems.
Post Reply
User avatar
Raleighwheels
1 Egg Laid
1 Egg Laid
Posts: 671
Joined: Tue Feb 02, 2010 2:59 pm
Location: West Milton, PA
Contact:

Plucked chick?

Post by Raleighwheels » Sun Jul 08, 2018 8:10 am

I have two first time breeders that are raising a single chick. It is almost two weeks old, but doesn't have feathers on it's back or part of the head. I'm thinking it's being plucked, but I'm not sure who is doing it. The male spends all of the time in the nest tending to the chick, and the female will pop in for a moment. The female only spends a large amount of time in the nest to sleep, otherwise she's usually hanging out by the food. Normally, I'd say it was the male doing the plucking and remove him, but I'm hesitant since he's the only one I see feeding the chick.

I removed the chick once to switch out the nesting material and check the chick over. On some of the bare spots I can see pin feathers starting to form. It is also very active when removed from the nest.
Attachments
IMG_20180706_074609186.jpg

User avatar
Fraza
Molting
Molting
Posts: 3700
Joined: Wed Jul 05, 2017 12:16 pm
Location: UK

Re: Plucked chick?

Post by Fraza » Sun Jul 08, 2018 8:52 am

Try giving more nesting material and tying but of it to the cage bars so that he can’t get it off this way whoever is pluckin might prefer to tug at some string etc rather than the chick
FINCHES I HAVE
Bengalese
zebras
Java sparrows
Silver bills
java x beng hybrid



PETS IVE HAD
dogs
Fish
Cocktiel
Doves
Hybrid cherry x Bengalese
Stars
Heck’s
Canary’s

My favourite is COCO my grey pearl society cock been here since the start my flock leader


YOUTUBE CHANNEL
https://m.youtube.com/results?q=fraser% ... de101&sm=3

User avatar
wilkifam
Weaning
Weaning
Posts: 1771
Joined: Fri Aug 03, 2012 2:01 pm
Location: South Central Montana

Re: Plucked chick?

Post by wilkifam » Fri Jul 13, 2018 1:46 pm

I've had chicks like this before, they are most likely not plucking it. It will catch up and feather out just fine.
Lori

Gouldians
Societies
Java FInches
Bourkes
Scarlets
Myers Parrot - Murphy
African Gray - Nzinga
2 GSD's - Heidi and Chiko
1 Minpin - Ted
1 Heinz 57 - Buster Brown
Chickens

Dave
Sisal Slave
Sisal Slave
Posts: 564
Joined: Mon Dec 14, 2015 7:24 am
Location: Campbellsville, KY

Re: Plucked chick?

Post by Dave » Fri Jul 13, 2018 5:35 pm

I've seen this in chicks, too, mostly from a particular pair. I don't have a clue what it is. It can be one chick out of a nest of three or four. The chick develops and feathers the bare areas, but those bare areas take a few extra weeks to fill in.

I wonder if it is genetic? I can't find evidence of plucking by the parents, or evidence of insects. The chick doesn't seem to be stressed.
Dave

Campbellsville, Kentucky, USA
Canaries

User avatar
Raleighwheels
1 Egg Laid
1 Egg Laid
Posts: 671
Joined: Tue Feb 02, 2010 2:59 pm
Location: West Milton, PA
Contact:

Re: Plucked chick?

Post by Raleighwheels » Sat Jul 14, 2018 10:37 am

I removed the male, because I noticed that the female had a bare spot on her back end, which I always found means that she's getting plucked. The little one fledged earlier this week.
Attachments
IMG_20180714_103330656.jpg
IMG_20180714_103301068.jpg

Sheather
Proven
Proven
Posts: 2299
Joined: Thu Dec 12, 2013 7:49 pm
Location: Northwest Indiana

Re: Plucked chick?

Post by Sheather » Sat Jul 14, 2018 1:28 pm

It is plucking. A genetic cause would likely result in baldness all over the body, not jut the upper side where the baby was exposed to the parents.

It will refeather and probably look normal within 3 weeks.
~Dylan

~~~

User avatar
Fraza
Molting
Molting
Posts: 3700
Joined: Wed Jul 05, 2017 12:16 pm
Location: UK

Re: Plucked chick?

Post by Fraza » Sat Jul 14, 2018 6:09 pm

Poor birdie I hope it’s okay some parents are stupid
FINCHES I HAVE
Bengalese
zebras
Java sparrows
Silver bills
java x beng hybrid



PETS IVE HAD
dogs
Fish
Cocktiel
Doves
Hybrid cherry x Bengalese
Stars
Heck’s
Canary’s

My favourite is COCO my grey pearl society cock been here since the start my flock leader


YOUTUBE CHANNEL
https://m.youtube.com/results?q=fraser% ... de101&sm=3

User avatar
Raleighwheels
1 Egg Laid
1 Egg Laid
Posts: 671
Joined: Tue Feb 02, 2010 2:59 pm
Location: West Milton, PA
Contact:

Re: Plucked chick?

Post by Raleighwheels » Mon Jul 23, 2018 12:36 pm

I removed the male a little over a week ago. The chick seems to be doing better. It's starting to nibble on food, so probably another week or so until I remove it and bring back the male bird.
Attachments
IMG_20180723_123313138.jpg
IMG_20180723_123318717.jpg

CathyCraftz
Callow Courter
Callow Courter
Posts: 158
Joined: Thu May 31, 2018 11:39 pm
Location: Sydney, Australia

Re: Plucked chick?

Post by CathyCraftz » Tue Jul 24, 2018 6:02 am

Hopefully the male is not bullying just getting some feathers for nesting material.
Have a nice day!
Sincerely, Cathy

~obsessed with zebra finches~

Post Reply