4 week old araucana chicks - growing slow / very small?

[newbiechickenmamma11]

Hi there, new to raising chicks. I have 3 araucana chicks who are 4 weeks old, and they're growing and feathering a lot slower compared to other 4 week old araucana chick photos I see online.

They seem healthy to me, however compared to my other chicks of the same age (I have 16 total), they are much smaller (though I'm guessing because they're araucanas - my other ones are olive eggers, pink eggers, cuckoo marans and a barnevelder). They also tend to spend more time under the heat plate/sleep more compared to my other breeds. Not so much more, but if there ever was a chick under the heat plate, it's likely an araucana.

Are they doing okay? Thanks

 

[nuthatched]

They are feathering at their own rate, they may not have the genes for it.

 

[newbiechickenmamma11]

They are feathering at their own rate, they may not have the genes for it.

Ah! Do you mean that they perhaps do not have the fast feathering gene that most araucanas have? Do they look healthy and okay for 4 weeks old chicks? I guess I'm just concerned as they are quite slow growing, hoping they are healthy. Thank you

 

[nuthatched]

Ah! Do you mean that they perhaps do not have the fast feathering gene that most araucanas have? Do they look healthy and okay for 4 weeks old chicks? I guess I'm just concerned as they are quite slow growing, hoping they are healthy. Thank you

I've never heard about aracanas being fast feathering but as long as their diet is OK, I wouldn't worry.

 

[Altairsky]

My araucana chicks were fully feathered at 4 weeks, yours looks smaller compared with mine of the same age. What is their diet? Maybe it's a genetic issue (inbreeding?)

 

[Kiki]

What exactly are you feeding them?
What does their poop look like?
Do you have older chickens around?

 

[newbiechickenmamma11]

Hi all, I have been feeding them Green Valley Grains starter/grower mix which is the brand's range for chicks until point of lay. Their poo looks fine to me, but they don't seem very active in general compared to my other chicks. They have been vaccinated at hatch for cocci. I have 16 chicks all of the same age (4-5 weeks), however the others are growing much bigger - some are different breedApps though. I have since separated my smaller chicks (the araucanas and one slow growing marans) into a separate brooder as I'm concerned the larger chicks will trample them.

I don't know if there's inbreeding (the breeder who had the hatching eggs claims she's been breeding healthy chickens for many decades now) but either way I'm concerned for their small size. I've since noticed two of the araucanas do spend quite a bit of time under the heat plate - we are in summer here in Australia so it's not thaaat cold right now. I'm hoping they will pull through..!

 

[newbiechickenmamma11]

My araucana chicks were fully feathered at 4 weeks, yours looks smaller compared with mine of the same age. What is their diet? Maybe it's a genetic issue (inbreeding?)

Yes on the internet I saw many other araucana chicks at 4 weeks much more advanced in their size and feathering, hence my concern!