Coronation mutt?

[Indyshent]

Had a bunch of broodies hatch a lot of BYMs, and one in particular is giving me fits. I'm still really unsure on gender. Pretty sure it's dad is a Coronation Sussex/Lavender Orpington, and the mom is probably a Brahma/EE, but that's only a guess. It's older than it looks, but it's "mom" is an idiot and always keeping her babies out in the cold and feeding them things that aren't as good for them as chick starter (all of her chicks are maybe half the size as the other chicks the same age). All of the Brahma mixes feather slowly, which is part of why I suspect a Brahma in its ancestry (that and it's general heftiness and pea comb). It doesn't act especially manly.

 

[Crazy for Chickens!]

How old?

 

[ChickNanny13]

2x age?

 

[sfgwife]

What exactly is mom feedin them that you dont like then? They are probably eatin a bit of food and then the normal thigs that chickens would eat if mom is showin em i would think.

 

[Indyshent]

What exactly is mom feedin them that you dont like then? They are probably eatin a bit of food and then the normal thigs that chickens would eat if mom is showin em i would think.

I rarely saw her feeding them, and they mostly nipped at fallen leaves. Other chicks the same age are much larger and all are fully feathered, but the broody chicks took ages to get any feathers and some still aren't fully feathered. These chicks hatched in mid-September at the latest. This one eventually stopped following the broody around and started eating and hanging near the heater with most of the other chicks, so it's getting more feathers and size vs the chicks that haven't left mom.

 

[Indyshent]

How old?

2x age?

It's at least 8 weeks old

 

[sfgwife]

We got a brahma as an extra in a chick order..... it WAS the last to feather completely out and was smaller. Up until about four months old. Then it bloomed and grew like crazy and feathered beautifully. Now at mearly eight months he is much larger than all of our birds. So breed could be a big part of it.

You could also offer high protein treats scattered for them since she is lettin them hunt for food before feed. Like boss and mealworms. But not very many because they do need the balance of the feed. Or sprinkle feed where she likes to take the babies.

Can you keep her and the babies inside together with only food and water for longer in the day than everyone else? That way she may see they eat feed first then forage later. When ours are let out for the day to the run the first thing everyone does is head for the feeder then forage. But. The lower in peckin order forage a lil bit while others eat first then lowers go to the feed. Maybe mama is lower in peckin order and has to wait to eat? Or doesnt want her babies in all of the crazy of feedin with everyone yet.

Also. If the babies are cold they will go under mama for warmth.

 

[Indyshent]

They can't all fit under her for warmth any more, and it's been cold enough that they'll try to huddle under her and still be crying their lungs out. One of them is still mostly down and super small (it's heavier than it looks though). All of them have taken much longer to feather. I've had to take cat food and other foods out to them because she almost never brings them indoors and even has them roost up a tree.

I'm not sure what it's mom is though because leg feathering has so far been dominant in my experience, and this chick doesn't have feathers. Might just be the dad--I never saw him as a chick.

 

[JedJackson]

At 8 weeks old it's almost a miracle the mother hen does anything for the chicks at all. All of mine lose interest and move on long before that.

 

[Crazy for Chickens!]

Looks like a pullet.