Has anyone noticed a difference in the growth rate of chicks that were incubated and raised in a brooder for the 1st month vs chicks that were set and brooder by the hen for the 1st month?
From one pairing of Bantam Cochins, I had two chicks hatch in the incubator, and were raised under artificial light in the brooder. I let her set the rest of the eggs, and she hatched 2 more, which stayed with her for the 1st month.
So the four chicks have the same dam and sire and hatched only 10 days apart. But now, 2 months later, the last two (hen) chicks, are still only 1/2 the size of their siblings. The sex of the chicks doesn't seem to make a difference, as I believe the first 2 are pullets, and the last two are a pair.
From one pairing of Bantam Cochins, I had two chicks hatch in the incubator, and were raised under artificial light in the brooder. I let her set the rest of the eggs, and she hatched 2 more, which stayed with her for the 1st month.
So the four chicks have the same dam and sire and hatched only 10 days apart. But now, 2 months later, the last two (hen) chicks, are still only 1/2 the size of their siblings. The sex of the chicks doesn't seem to make a difference, as I believe the first 2 are pullets, and the last two are a pair.
