I was told this was a Light Sussex.... True just wrong age?

Garona

In the Brooder
5 Years
Sep 5, 2014
35
1
41
Before a picture here is the background story:

Okay one of my chickens I got from a local farm - but they didnt raise her they got her from another party. They told me she is a light sussex, large fowl, and she is 16 weeks old on oct 5th so thats around 23weeks now.

She was purchased with another of the same type from the same place. The thing is, the other one mysteriously died very soon after the purchase, she just got very sick suddenly, couldnt lift her head up and struggled with breathing. The vet was unable to offer any help on what it was.

I notified the farm and they have since apologetically provided me with a replacement chicken which i accepted after i was sure the flock were okay, but now I am concerned and keeping a closer eye on the one that survived.

Unlike her sister, this one is healthier and eating well. But she's still small (like her sister). I have not raised female light sussex myself yet so I am a bit unsure where her milestones for this are, ive only had a boy so far! But I'm pretty **** sure she should be bigger than this by now and she eats all the time but she's no where near the other chicks her age, not even the light sussex we have for sure that is only a week or two older (if the supplier is to be believed).

Because of this worry I started to notice other little things that seem different about her. She doesn't hold her head up like the other, she is quite a compact and small thing. She's still perky, just like a small fluffy ball - which makes it seem she is much younger than i was told. She burrows underneath the 27 week old RIR we have at night time like a chick would.

But also, she doesn't have orange eyes, they are greyish perhaps but not orange like her counterparts. She does have pink legs - not yellow.

Her neck feathers do have some black on them but it's speckled and small - not vivid and solid like her counterparts. It makes her feathers look dirty instead and the spattering of little black flecks travels quite far.

So this is one of my other chickens that is 27 weeks old:


Shes a lovely big girl already with an attitude :) But this is the one in question below supposedly 23 weeks old at least:






She doesn't look anywhere near as developed as the other one and she's quite small, just all fluff.

These are her wings and her tail is similar.

Now, because I am paranoid I have thought of several different things:

1. She has got some other breed in her or is some other similar breed
2. She's not large fowl shes a bantam
3. She isn't 23 weeks shes much younger than that
4. Shes poorly with something either by bad luck or a bad previous home
5. A mixture of the above.
6. I should probably not trust people so much to tell me the truth.

I thought she was small to begin with and made sure I monitored her eating habits and gave her extra attention but she's not really growing at all.
 
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She does look like a light Sussex.

I know some birds sometimes develop much slower, I'm not sure that I've ever seen a convincing argument for why that is.

I will say, that considering the history of the flocks involved, I'd be concerned that this bird is sick.

According to my Chicken Health Handbook book, a few options under discolored comb (comb looks too pale to me, but that could just be the Sussex):
Coccidiosis, infectious stunting syndrome, infectious anemia, toxoplasmosis, cholera, worms
-I know a few of those won't actually be options for this bird, and a few could easily be something this bird has.

That story right there is essentially why I no longer obtain birds from random farm flocks. Day-old-chicks are the only new chickens welcome on my property.
 
garona
i feel so bad for you. i think she was or must be sick. im glad you think shes comfortable though.
are they the only two you have? if not, have any others developed coughs or other problems?
unfortunately, you Cannot trust some people and even more dont even know about chicken problems.

i think the phrase "replacement chicken" really stinks. id call them and ask them about what sicknesses they may have had at the farm.
sometimes just the way they respond to your question tells it all.
they do have some highly recommended products on the market, like nutri-drench. ive never used them, but........


She does look like a light Sussex.

I know some birds sometimes develop much slower, I'm not sure that I've ever seen a convincing argument for why that is.

I will say, that considering the history of the flocks involved, I'd be concerned that this bird is sick.

According to my Chicken Health Handbook book, a few options under discolored comb (comb looks too pale to me, but that could just be the Sussex):
Coccidiosis, infectious stunting syndrome, infectious anemia, toxoplasmosis, cholera, worms
-I know a few of those won't actually be options for this bird, and a few could easily be something this bird has.

That story right there is essentially why I no longer obtain birds from random farm flocks. Day-old-chicks are the only new chickens welcome on my property.
x2
posicle--what is Infectious Stunting Syndrome? ive never heard of it.
tammy
 
She could have some Sussex in her, but her coloring is very poor. I can't see if she's got the white skin or not in the pic.

She could be younger than advertised, but she just does not look like a healthy bird to me. Your first bird is beautiful, shiny and healthy, alert looking. This poor thing is ruffled and hunched and just looks kinda miserable. I'm not one to treat illness, so can't really advise you where to go from here except to check out the Emergencies/Diseases section. We've got some folks there that are wonderful at ferreting out what's going on with a bird and restoring it to heath.
 
She could have some Sussex in her, but her coloring is very poor. I can't see if she's got the white skin or not in the pic.

She could be younger than advertised, but she just does not look like a healthy bird to me. Your first bird is beautiful, shiny and healthy, alert looking. This poor thing is ruffled and hunched and just looks kinda miserable. I'm not one to treat illness, so can't really advise you where to go from here except to check out the Emergencies/Diseases section. We've got some folks there that are wonderful at ferreting out what's going on with a bird and restoring it to heath.
x2
 
Thanks very much for your help guys, it's really appreciated. She's eating tonnes of food so when you mentioned worms that stuck out for me, I'm going to have a good look today and maybe post later in the sick section. Thanks x
 
She could have some Sussex in her, but her coloring is very poor. I can't see if she's got the white skin or not in the pic.

She could be younger than advertised, but she just does not look like a healthy bird to me. Your first bird is beautiful, shiny and healthy, alert looking. This poor thing is ruffled and hunched and just looks kinda miserable. I'm not one to treat illness, so can't really advise you where to go from here except to check out the Emergencies/Diseases section. We've got some folks there that are wonderful at ferreting out what's going on with a bird and restoring it to heath.

X3
 
Her legs are white/pink and skin is pink.

I've posted in diseases section so far looking at coxoid treatment. She seems quite speckled all over with black flecks so I'm still not convinced she has good parentage.
 

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