Is this normal?

[buckabucka]

I have my first chicks, - now 3 weeks old. They are such varying sizes. I have 2 welsummers, - one quite large, one tiny. 2 buff chanteclers - one big, one very small, 3 GIANT easter eggers, etc. I assume some breeds grow faster than others, but wonder about the variation within a breed. Will the small ones eventually catch up, or should I worry that something is wrong with them? They all eat and drink and scratch around acting like chickens just fine. Just wondering if there is reason for concern. Thanks for any advice.
Robin

 

[underground chickenman]

There is some variation within breeds. If you are talking about extreme differences, the small ones could be runts. Hard to tell since you only have two of the mismatched breeds. Unless they are extremely small and runty, smaller ones sometimes catch up once full grown. The other possibility is that the big ones are roos and the smaller ones are pullets. Did you order straight run, or were they sexed? Even if they are sexed, there's still a chance you will get some roos.

 

[buckabucka]

I did order just pullets, but realize sexing is not 100%. I guess I prefer runts to roosters! The tiny welsummer is starting to catch up a little (or the big one has slowed down), but the chanteclers look like they are different ages.
I have a dark cornish with a severe cross-beak that is quite active but struggles to eat, and it is quite small, like the chantecler. But the chantecler is able to eat and drink normally, it just hasn't grown very much.

Size-wise, the 3 smallest chicks are like chickadees, the majority of the birds (leghorns, sussex, barred rocks, dark cornish) are like robins, and the easter eggers are like crows! (A bit of an exaggeration, I admit, but the easter eggers are very large!)

It is a lot of fun watching them grow!