Chicken growing pattern

[Reaperprincess]

Am I on the right forum to ask about chicken growing patterns otherwise wil someone please tell me where to post growing pattern questions and concerns.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

What information are you looking for?

 

[Reaperprincess]

From the information i have collected it seems chickens grow fast tge firtst 7-8 months then slowly from then on but my chickens grew slowly the first six months and fast from then on they are 11 months old now and still growing. Why is it happening? Is it good or bad? That sort of things

 

[Reaperprincess]

I also want to know about different breeds how they grow, when they will be fully grown.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Smaller breeds tend to grow more quickly and mature more quickly. Larger breeds are slower. Most chickens aren't considered mature until 2 years old especially the larger breeds.

Most grow at a steady rate the first 3-4 months than slow by 6-10 months. During the next year they fill out and bulk up.
Some breeds like Cornish crosses are bred to grow very quickly, and very large. There are also high egg production breeds bred to mature quickly. Through breeding growth has been manipulated to some extent. Heritage breeds tend to grow more normally and mature more slowly, but they also tend to live longer.

Slow growth up front can be because they are unwell. Cocidiosis can slow growth, so can some internal issues that sometimes resolve as they grow. There's also a condition called failure to thrive where chicks don't grow at all and usually pass away.

You can also get poor growth with an improper diet. Not feeding a chick starter or feeding old feed can cause deficiencies that lead to poor growth, and defects.

What breeds do you have? There are for too many breeds to list their growth rates, but generally the bigger the mature bird the longer it takes to fully mature.

 

[Reaperprincess]

Smaller breeds tend to grow more quickly and mature more quickly. Larger breeds are slower. Most chickens aren't considered mature until 2 years old especially the larger breeds.

Most grow at a steady rate the first 3-4 months than slow by 6-10 months. During the next year they fill out and bulk up.
Some breeds like Cornish crosses are bred to grow very quickly, and very large. There are also high egg production breeds bred to mature quickly. Through breeding growth has been manipulated to some extent. Heritage breeds tend to grow more normally and mature more slowly, but they also tend to live longer.

Slow growth up front can be because they are unwell. Cocidiosis can slow growth, so can some internal issues that sometimes resolve as they grow. There's also a condition called failure to thrive where chicks don't grow at all and usually pass away.

You can also get poor growth with an improper diet. Not feeding a chick starter or feeding old feed can cause deficiencies that lead to poor growth, and defects.

What breeds do you have? There are for too many breeds to list their growth rates, but generally the bigger the mature bird the longer it takes to fully mature.

I feed the same starter and growing feed to all my chickens. And all the feed is still fresh. I don't give them old feed at all.
I have austrolop, rir, golden laced wyandottes, blue wyandottes and dorkings in my mix flock
My big concern was that my other chickens, though growing slow at first reached their full size by 8-9 months but all 3 my wyandotte chicks (all 3 pullets) are now 8 months and only half the size of their mothers and have yet to start laying or even expanding their vents.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

If all 3 are slow to mature than it's either the feed, or genetics. Since your feed is correct than it just may be in the breeding.

In my experiences with Wyandotte they don't generally start laying until 6-8 months depending on variety and time of year.

Birds are slower to mature in fall under decreasing light. Birds maturing in spring will mature more quickly under increasing light. I personally prefer a slower maturity. It's important pullets reach a decent size before the start of lay so they don't have problems.

 

[NatJ]

My big concern was that my other chickens, though growing slow at first reached their full size by 8-9 months but all 3 my wyandotte chicks (all 3 pullets) are now 8 months and only half the size of their mothers and have yet to start laying or even expanding their vents.

Were these chicks raised at a different time of year than the other chickens? Sometimes that can affect how fast they grow. It definitely does affect how quickly they reach sexual maturity and start to lay eggs.

Pullets mature more quickly when the days are getting longer in the spring, and more slowly when the days are getting shorter in the fall.

I see that you are in South Africa. If your pullets did much of their growing during the fall and winter, they may be waiting for spring before they start laying. (I'm in the northern hemisphere, so I'm having to mentally reverse seasons. But we're heading into fall, with tree leaves just starting to turn color where I live, so I presume you are heading into spring.)