I have this really weird sex link chick

[gritsar]

One of my broodies is raising 5 store bought chicks (from Ideal). They were 4 weeks old on Monday. All very active and playful, good appetites and good droppings. They are out free ranging with mama all day. None are being picked on at all.

I bought these chicks at the feed store, marked as sexed heavy pullets. At first I thought they were JGs, until they started feathering in with gold lacing across the breast area. Now I'm pretty sure they are sex links.

One chick concerns me. It's appears to be smaller than the other 4, doesn't act sick at all and has a full crop at bedtime. It's not feathering in. They other chicks are kinda slow to feather too. It's very hot here right now, so nature is not dictating that they grow feathers quickly. This chick however has flight feathers and that's it. Nearly bald besides. Normally that would tell me that this is a cockerel, but these are black sex links and it is/was the same color as the others. It's cute in an ugly sort of way.

I've tried for pics, but mama sees the camera and takes them into hiding.

So, not a sex link? Metabolic disorder? Or just a slow grower?

 

[ranchhand]

D. All of the above.

"Now I'm pretty sure they are sex links" That's the kicker, you don't know for sure. All of my roosters have been baldies.

 

[gritsar]

Quote:
Ah yes, we go back to the days of Thor as a chick. If possible, this chick has even less feathers.

Baby Thor

 

[ranchhand]

Sooo cute.

Seriously, it seems to happen a lot more with the black ones, mine were scaring me they were so slow to feather.

 

[gritsar]

Quote:
Thanks Ranchy, was starting to worry I was going to have something on this farm uglier than Impy.

 

[pgpoultry]

Well here is my 7 week old Brahma....only a few tiny permanent wing feathers... forever young?

The girl running away is his heavily feathered sister.

ranchhand....the few feathers this real fuzzbutt has are light brown.

All of the others from his clutch have plenty of feathers by now.

 

[gritsar]

Quote:
That's very much like mine.

 

[BooBear]

Maybe she is taking the naked thing to the next level.

 

[AKsmama]

We have a BSL who we named "Turken" because she was so ugly and slow to feather in. She was ugly for quite a while (hence the name). She is most definitely a pullet and we can't tell her from the 15 other BSL we have now. I just chalked it up to less than great genes. She lays good eggs though.

 

[Pele]

If your little teeny tiny titan looks exactly the same as the other sex links, then you might have one of several things happening:

1.) Late bloomer - some chicks seem to hold back until one week they grow like a bean pole

2.) These are not sex links, and it is a cockerel

3.) failure to thrive - due to internal organ disfunction, or genetic flaw.