Solitary chicken - need advice

[ratglass]

Hi

 

New to the forum, so hello all. My first post, but have gained lots of info from you all over the last year or so so thankyou for that. Have kept Ex-batts and POL for a couple of years but took the plunge and hatched some chicks this year in an incubator. I see someone else has some too, they are from Durham hens, Choc maran bantams. Anyway all went well we have 1 boy and 1 girl from 3 eggs (one not fertile) they are 3 weeks old on 19th June. Their feathers are coming through well however when I checked on them yesterday evening the girl has lost all her down from her neck and is scratching it a lot. I can't see any obvious mites and the boy appears fine. As I have no experience with chicks is this a normal part of the feathering process? Is there something like Aloe vera I can out on her to make it less itchy or am I best to use a small amount of purple spray? I'm concerned she will break the skin and intorduce an infecction.I should add they are indoors under a brinsea electric hen and eating and drinking well. I have also now given them a dust bath to use. Any advice warmly welcomed.

[Beantree]

In my experience they don't actually moult at that age. The new feathers emerge as continuous growth of the down. The down bit on the end then falls away. I think, looking back on it, as they grow more they grow new feathers in-between the originals, although the wing feathers are definitely lost and replaced.

 

So losing all the feathers is either pecking from her brother, or a parasite. Normally I'd use Frontline spray-on applied as a tiny amount on a cotton bud. But I'm not sure at that age they could take the treatment. I don't think purple spray will treat a parasite. My inclination is to avoid any strong medication unless absolutely necessary. So perhaps Aloe Vera is the way to go? Sorry Ratglass, not being particularly helpful.