First time owner here. My chicks are 2 1/2 weeks old and they are all growing feathers of course but two of my breeds look lots scruffier than other breeds and I'm beginning to worry that perhaps something is wrong with the really scruffy looking ones. The barred rocks are beautiful and the silver leghorns are beautiful but the silver polish and the golden polish and the buff and blue silkies all look like rag-a-muffins. They act fine, they are eating, drinking, and pooping fine but their feathers are so scruffy and tattered looking. Does this sound like normal feather growth at this age? If anyone has any pictures of their polish or silkies at this age they can post, I would greatly appreciate it. Thanks!
I have 3 Silkies and a bantam Easter Egger that are all 2 weeks old. The Easter Egger is feathering out nicely and is starting to look like a real bird. The Silkies are little ragamuffins, much like what you described. I also have a friend with 2 different breeds- Barred Rocks and Columbian Wyandottes- and they are all the same age, but the Wyandottes are well feathered and the Barred Rocks are more ragged. Maybe various breeds just mature differently than others. Just a guess from my VERY limited experience!
