Grrrrrrrrr!

[blue fire]

My mom is convinced that the chicks that we ordered from MPC are different ages even though we ordered them in the same order. Is she right?!?!?!?!? She is driving me nuts with this!!!!!!!!!

 

[speckledhen]

They will all be day old chicks or a couple days old.

 

[Mahonri]

They should all be within a day of each other.

 

[ChooksChick]

Chicks develop at different rates if different breeds. I just sat with the 4 my broody hatched and mused about this. Two are BR and are still mostly fuzzy with little tails and bare spots where they've outgrown the fuzz yet haven't any feathers in just yet.

Two are OEG and have long, developed tails and full, long wings and chest feathers coming in. They are half the size of the BR.

The OEG are a couple of days younger.

If they were hatched on the same day, they'd be even more developed than the BR.

If yours were hatched more than 24 hours apart, MPC would have been risking the lives of the older ones, due to the need to arrive prior to the yolk being used (internally). They wouldn't risk that likelihood of dehydrating and dying, and thus you have chicks who are simply developing at their own speed.

 

[cassie]

I once knew a wise old man who got along famously with all of his relatives. He just agreed heartily with all of them and then thought and did as he pleased. He said it saved him a lot of aggravation and he said that changing people's minds, especially relatives' was an exercise in futility.

 

[blue fire]

I know I should not argue with her, but she is concerned about the chick if she is the younger than everyone else, and I want her to know there is no reason to be worried, Besides she will probably keep her opinion after I tell her what you guys said,

which is ok with me. I guess I wanted to know as well, so now that I know It won't bother me as much. I understand I am as stubborn as she is.

 

[ChooksChick]

I argue well and heartily with my family, but try not to convince anyone of anything if I can't provide supporting fact and evidence.

I was a debate champ and probably should have been a lawyer- we all fight like that in my family for sport and it freaks people out...but we're just in it for fun!

 

[write2caroline]

I have two that have been the same size and are the same breed suddenly one seemed to develop faster than the other, now the slower developing one got her tail feathers in and this week grew larger than the one that feathered first. I have taken pictures of them weekly and I can see the changes in them. They have same food, water, etc. Chickens develop like kids no two are completely alike - even when they look identical.

So if you have different breeds then they are going to grow at different rates.

BTW - I get a lot of heat from my non chicken owning but supposedly expert relatives about everything under the sun and esp advice about my chickens. I just smile and nod my head. Once in a while they actually have a nugget of info but for the most part they are sharing hearsay and it is not worth it for me to prove them wrong. I just go about my way of caring for the chickens and remember that in this opinion they express is a sign that they are attempting to show interest in the chicks and my life.
And while I am smiling, I am imagining I am wringing their necks - It helps keep the smile genuine! LOL We refer to the inlaws as the outlaws!
Caroline

 

[codybird]

A famous man once said,

"You can pick your friends. You can pick your nose, but you can't pick your friends nose."

Moms are unpickable.

Agree and smile.