3 day old Chicks are Balding

I have 3 day old chicks and theyre starting to bald underneath! I've searched for hours and can't find out why. No scabs or sore spots and its all over their belly. Any ideas??

questionear said:

I have 3 day old chicks and theyre starting to bald underneath! I've searched for hours and can't find out why. No scabs or sore spots and its all over their belly. Any ideas??

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Hi, welcome to BYC!
Can you get a photo of their set up brooder, or are they with a broody? Could you also get a photo of the chicks themselves? If in a brooder, whats the temp? I can show you how to attach a photo if youre unsure

BelovedBirds said:

Hi, welcome to BYC!
Can you get a photo of their set up brooder, or are they with a broody? Could you also get a photo of the chicks themselves? If in a brooder, whats the temp? I can show you how to attach a photo if youre unsure

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Hey!
I don't have a picture of their brooder right now but I do have a couple of pictures of the bald spots. We initially struggled on the first day to get the temp to stop fluctuating but now it is sitting at about 93°F. I am just a new and anxious chick owner so I might just be overreacting. It could be that their little hairs are just thin and because theyre a little wet from their water, they are looking bald. But it just seems abnormal to me so I am wanting to clarify I have 6 chicks and all of them are balding (the bald spots arent hard). I attached pictures of 2 of them.

Two more questions: What are you feeding? And what bedding are you using?

It looks like maybe just water. One more question: What waterer are you using? You want your chicks to be as dry as possible.

questionear said:

Hey!
I don't have a picture of their brooder right now but I do have a couple of pictures of the bald spots. We initially struggled on the first day to get the temp to stop fluctuating but now it is sitting at about 93°F. I am just a new and anxious chick owner so I might just be overreacting. It could be that their little hairs are just thin and because theyre a little wet from their water, they are looking bald. But it just seems abnormal to me so I am wanting to clarify I have 6 chicks and all of them are balding (the bald spots arent hard). I attached pictures of 2 of them.

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They're so adorable!! I can relate to be a nervous new owner- my ducks are over half a year old now and I'm still anxious about this and that!!
It does look just like they're damp under their tummies, but the first and last photo seem to show more skin there as though some down could be missing.
What kind of waterer do you have?
It's best to have one designed for chicks that will prevent them from climbing in, you definitely don't want them getting waterlogged or chilled in any water dish--

I think they should be okay as long as their brooder is clean and dry- But I also second Aunt's questions, what kind of bedding and what type of feed? Also what type of heat source?

Aunt Angus said:

Two more questions: What are you feeding? And what bedding are you using?

It looks like maybe just water. One more question: What waterer are you using? You want your chicks to be as dry as possible.

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We are feeding them the chick starter krums that the co-op (where we got them) recommended us. The bedding is pine wood shavings.

We are using a mason jar waterer. I don't really know how else to describe it haha. They dont feel wet but they look like they could have been at one point. The jar was knocked before we secured it and we quickly dried the chicks and to my knowledge, they havent been wet since. Literally any advice is welcome!!!!

BelovedBirds said:

They're so adorable!! I can relate to be a nervous new owner- my ducks are over half a year old now and I'm still anxious about this and that!!
It does look just like they're damp under their tummies, but the first and last photo seem to show more skin there as though some down could be missing.
What kind of waterer do you have?
It's best to have one designed for chicks that will prevent them from climbing in, you definitely don't want them getting waterlogged or chilled in any water dish--

I think they should be okay as long as their brooder is clean and dry- But I also second Aunt's questions, what kind of bedding and what type of feed? Also what type of heat source?

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I did just tell Aunt this too but figured I would answer yours too lol. We are feeding them chick starter that the co-op where we got them recommended and their bedding is pine wood shavings!

Their waterer is a mason jar waterer and they dont feel wet or damp. However that doesnt mean they werent at some point of course.

We started with a heat lamp which made it difficult to get the temperature where we wanted it. Which I have heard is not uncommon. So after a short time of struggling, I put them in a small, naturally warm room with a register and just set the room temperature to what we wanted. The thermometer in the brooder is also monitoring the temp as well and its staying pretty consistent.

Give me all the advice!! Haha.

Are they dry now? If they are, you should be able to tell if they are wet or losing down. If they are dry but still look wet, you might try fluffing their down. If there's something on them, you can try getting a rag damp with warm water and cleaning them off a bit, making sure to dry them thoroughly.

Sounds like your set up is fine as long as it's warm enough. The only thing I could think of that might cause this is if the bedding is too wet or filthy, but I really doubt that because it sounds like you are doing everything you're supposed to.

Oh - and make sure your waterer is secure so it won't tip over and make everything wet. Chilled chicks = death and all kinds of problems. And make sure it's shallow so that chicks can't soak themselves. Folks sometimes put marbles at clean rocks in the bottom for a few days until the chicks are bigger.

questionear said:

I did just tell Aunt this too but figured I would answer yours too lol. We are feeding them chick starter that the co-op where we got them recommended and their bedding is pine wood shavings!

Their waterer is a mason jar waterer and they dont feel wet or damp. However that doesnt mean they werent at some point of course.

We started with a heat lamp which made it difficult to get the temperature where we wanted it. Which I have heard is not uncommon. So after a short time of struggling, I put them in a small, naturally warm room with a register and just set the room temperature to what we wanted. The thermometer in the brooder is also monitoring the temp as well and its staying pretty consistent.

Give me all the advice!! Haha.

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Everything sounds ok! I agree with what Auntie has already said- Although-
What temp is the room at? The worry I would have here is that the chicks cannot escape the heat. I didn't use a heat lamp for my babies, but I used a brooder plate instead, which works really well!

BelovedBirds said:

Everything sounds ok! I agree with what Auntie has already said- Although-
What temp is the room at? The worry I would have here is that the chicks cannot escape the heat. I didn't use a heat lamp for my babies, but I used a brooder plate instead, which works really well!

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This is my concern as well, they need a cooler area