I would suspect that no-one knows the answer. But, yes, my guess is that it’d be a genetic issue. Thats supported by the fact that two chicks raised under different conditions have shown this poor feathering.
I’d say you have some recessive genes that have been lurking and have popped out as a result of a bit of line breeding. It’s obviously not a simple or dominant genetic mechanism though as you’ve only had a couple of chicks with the problem. So perhaps it’s affected by multiple genes.
From time to time you do hear of featherless chicks hatching - even more bald than yours.
In your case it might be tricky to work out which birds are producing the problem, if you are flock breeding. Do you know which rooster/hen the chick came from? If not, you could try subdividing your group of birds to see if you can isolate where it’s coming from. That might been more hassle than it’s worth though. Another option is to carry on and do nothing about it for now, apart from keeping records of any parameters you can measure (which parents are involved, if known, and numbers and dates of poorly feathered chicks hatching), and obviously seeing how this chick ends up.
_________________ Cheerio, Rach Blue Swedish Ducks
|