My 11 chicks/chickens are 16 weeks old. I feed non medicated grower/starter feed and it is always available. They also get some treats such as lettuce, cucumbers, squash, melon rinds, over ripe tomatoes, some grass and weeds pulled from flower beds, dandelions. etc. I do limit the treats so their main diet is their feed. When I pick them up they seem exceptionally skinny and lightweight. I realize they are still growing but wonder if they are within the "normal" range for their age and breed. I just don't know what "normal" is for chickens. BTW I have two each of RIR, black australorps, barred rocks, silver laced wyandottes, and 3 ameraucanas. Since I am a first time chicken mama, just want to make sure they are on track and I can't find any information on how "big" they should be for their age. And they are to be layers not meat. Thanks in advance for any info. Murphy
my ameracauna is a some what small chicken and so are RIRs and they are full grown i would switch to chick grit though.
I'm sure there are charts some place that list the weigh each breed should be at for a given week. Most of us don't worry while they are growing. At that age I would just be happy that they are active and eating well. They still have some growing to do. So yes they will feel light.
I have 11 Black Australorps, and mine seem like they are almost 2 lbs, they are about the same age as yours, I have the same concern as well.
There is no hard data on this subject. The last thing that any hatchery that sells "breeds" of chickens would want the customers to know is how slowly and inefficiently "dual purpose" chickens produce meat. Find a bunch of people who raise the breeds you have year after year for meat and we can look at their data. No find me just one.
I'm looking for the same information. I have 14 BR hatchery pullets and one BR hatchery cockerel. I weighed one of the pullets today, as I am worming them and was shocked that she only weighed about a pound. They look way bigger due to the down and feathers, and I did use a fish scale, so it is probably not as accurate as some other kind of scale, but gave me a ball park. I only weighed the one, as they all felt about the same weight, except for the cockerel, but even he felt lighter than I though he would be. They are 16 weeks now and they are my first hatchery lot, so I am finding a lot of "new" things, with this flock of chickens. I have also searched and found nothing that says what they "should" weigh at certain ages. Would be nice to know though, if they are behind, on track, or what? Anyone out there that has weighed their hatchery birds? If so, what age and what was the weight at that age? Mine: 16 weeks, 1 pound pullets, some maybe a tad more. Not sure on cockerel...wasn't about to try to use the fish scale with him!!! I would guess he is about 2 1/2 pounds? give or take... Mine are grain fed, 18% protein. Still on starter/grower, as they wouldn't eat the all flock pellets. Going on a mix of starter/grower and layer mash this week. Not sure the protein % on the layer yet. Thanks in advance for any info!
Just found this chart for commercial layers and at the bottom it has an average age to weight ratio. http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ps046
That link no longer works. Any other thoughts on this topic? Mine are about 16-17 weeks and I will weigh each of them soon.
This looks like pretty good stuff. You need to convert grams to pounds. Personally I don't want my girls to mature too fast but I do move them outside to natural light at prob'ly 10 weeks or so. They get all they want to eat. http://www.hyline.com/userdocs/pages/TB_PULLET_MGMT_ENG.pdf
