baby chick looks like it is self harming

[Jeanette]

We got 4 baby chicks on Saturday, 8/21, in the afternoon. They were 4 days old, appeared to be bright, active, in good health. By Monday I noticed one chick seemed to be losing feathers on it's breast. This seems to be a growing 'bald' spot. We do not see the other chicks pecking at it, it does not seem to be poking at itself to pull out feathers. They all seem to be pretty happy, eating, drinking and pooping a lot. The other chicks do not seem to dislike it in anyway. Is this a normal thing? We have them in a big box in the garage, there is a light on. I think it's hot in there but the chicks don't seem to mind & at Pratt's they told me that would be a better place than the guest room.

 

What do you think?

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[Suze Scott]

I prefer to use moon glo heat bulbs. You can find them in the reptile section of pet stores. Dark blue light that truly looks like moonlight. I think that natural lighting from the sun, plus these for heat make the most sense. I keep babies in the house for the first few weeks--in the winter because its too cold outside and the summer because it's too hot. If they have a mama, they get to stay outside where she can watch them and help them keep warm or stay cool as needed.

With a red bulb it is not that they cannot see the colour as that the red light dulls the appearance of red colours; making them look darker, less vivid. Chickens (all birds) actually see a considerably wider spectrum of colours than humans, as well as having more types of receptors on the retina. Scientific American did a very interesting article on Bird Vision several years ago.

[Jeanette]

Guilt over the chickens! I moved them to a 'cooler part of the garage', we are not using the garage except to store & visit the chicks ,turned off the white light, will get a red light this weekend and will probably move them to inside the guest room on Saturday. Thank you for all of your help. I really appreciate it.

[Bethany Lobocki]

I agree with Chris and Rachel...

I think it is likely too hot in the garage with the light. The temperature is one of those things that I don't "go by the book" with. So many things come into play with how comfy chicks (and other baby poultry) will be...humidity, number of chicks, variety and breed, etc. I do it like this...if it feels really warm to me, I watch what they are doing. I don't think it is necessary to achieve this "perfect" temperature or use a light at all this time of year. If they are huddled together, they are too cold. If they are all spread out from each other, trying to flatten themselves to the ground then they are too warm. If they are active, running around like crazy chickies...then they are just fine. If you do have a light on them and a few are under the light, with the rest spread out you have the right temperature. I never use a thermometer to check this, I just observe their activity.

[Becky]

No, just a 50 Gal water heater box for 10 of them, lots of attention and treats.

BTW - anyone have a 50 Gal water heater box available? :-)

[Rachel]

First off-- congratulations on your new chicks! Have you checked the temperature in your garage? If your garage is like mine, it's HOT in there, especially with a heat light. I would put them in the guest room for right now with their light. Sometimes birds will lose feathers like that from heat. I see this more often in coturnix quail than chickens...

[Becky]

It depends on how hot your garage is. Baby chicks need a constant 95 degrees the first week, 90 the second, 85 the 3rd, etc. until they are fully feathered. You can also watch to see if they are huddled under the lamp or as far away as they can get and then adjust so they are back and forth and comfortable.
If it were me, I would bring them into the guest room with a heat lamp and thermometer where you can better control their temperature.
I'm getting chicks next week and they will spend their first 4-6 weeks in my family room :-) but our chickens are pets and spoiled rotten. ;-)

[Rachel]

A 250 watt heat bulb is recommended on nearly every poultry site/book etc, however they are really overkill in August in Phoenix and you'll have to either have it far away from the birds or risk overheating them. (Just think of how quickly they heat up a bathroom whenever you've been in a house/hotel that has them) If you want you can save energy and have a red light for night time (or the entire time if you choose). They sell much lower wattages of colored bulbs at the major hardware stores. There is a slight difference between the true infrared heat lamp bulbs and the colored bulbs (which some heat lamps are anyway), but I am not convinced the birds notice this. Many people use the plain white 60-100 watt white bulbs and the birds come out just fine, but it is true that the birds would likely prefer less visible light during night time. However, this is getting away from the point of the OP... :)