How itchy are those pesky pin feathers? (chicken question)

[big brown horse]

My birds all have DE in their favorite dusting spaces and get a regular amount of cayenne pepper, yogurt and raw pumpkin seeds.


Recently my pre teen (and very much into exploring sex for the first time) chicks are all of a sudden pecking at themselves...particularly their upper thighs and under their wings. I examined them for any kind of mite, upped their calcium and protein intake and dusted them with DE. They still seem itchy. Then I noticed pin feathers in these itchy areas...could this be the root of the problem?

My 3 adult hens are NOT itchy at all, and they all share the same run and coop.

I searched on BYC but couldn't come up with any results.

Typos!

 

[Beekissed]

Not sure, BBH....never noticed my juvies doing that. I've read that they are itchy and uncomfortable for wild birds, so I'd guess you are right.

 

[big brown horse]

Well, I know they get their last pre-adult (pin) feathers right before sexual maturity, but I didn't realize how itchy they would be. Pecking their own feathers, not each others...weird. They look like they are just grooming all at once. I also just clipped their wings 3 days ago. Wonder if that has anything to do with it.

I have two boxed up to rehome tomorrow a.m. and now I am going to have to wait to be sure that it is normal.

 

[Puck-Puck]

Big Brown Horse,
I'm not an expert, but my chickens have gone through bouts of scratching and fidgeting with their feathers, while they were in intermediate growth stages, which they have gotten over without any intervention. I'm trusting that the same thing is likely going on here, so while keeping an eye on them for a few days is no bad thing, I definitely wouldn't panic! Sorry, I don't remember how many weeks old mine were when they were going through their bouts. Are these your first chickens?

 

[freemotion]

I, too, noticed that with my first batch of chicks. I don't even notice anymore.....The first batch brings out the most obsessiveness!

Pick one up and inspect the skin around the itchy spots and also the fluffy butts. You might see bugs there if it is a problem. Take one off the roost at night and inspect with a flashlight for the kind of bugs that come out at night, too.

Don't you enjoy holding a flashlight in your mouth and drooling like an idiot?

 

[Beekissed]

Funny you should mention that, Free! My son and I were out Fri. night, picking chickens off the roost for culling. He was holding the flashlight in his mouth and putting zipties on legs when he drops the flashlight.

It rolls across the floor and the fresh chicken manure under the roosts.

He picks it up and puts it back in his mouth.......

When I admonished him he just shrugged his shoulders and kept on tying legs. :/

Men.

Just one more shred of proof that germophobia is overrated.

 

[freemotion]

But...

 

[big brown horse]

Thanks guys.

I looked for mites etc at night, but I saw none. I think they are just "preening" their new pinfeathers.

I was worried there for a sec!!

 

[Quail_Antwerp]

Funny you should mention that, Free! My son and I were out Fri. night, picking chickens off the roost for culling. He was holding the flashlight in his mouth and putting zipties on legs when he drops the flashlight.

It rolls across the floor and the fresh chicken manure under the roosts.

He picks it up and puts it back in his mouth.......

When I admonished him he just shrugged his shoulders and kept on tying legs. :/

Men.

Just one more shred of proof that germophobia is overrated.

oh GROSS, Bee, GROSS GROSS GROSS!!

Now, is this the son with a girlfriend? If so, she might be interested in knowing what he put in his mouth before she kisses him again?

ACK! I'm shuddering from the grotesqueness of it all

 

[Beekissed]

He claimed the 5 second rule!

Hey, if chicken poop is the worst thing he ever puts in his mouth....well, I'll be satisfied!

Its a guy thing, Aly, and I don't even try to understand it anymore......