Just curious! Indoor raised chick VS. outdoor

[Hannah11]

So I have one chick I'm raising in the brooder and then 8 chicks with their mothers outside, the first lot of 4 are 4ish weeks old and all the rest are 2weeks 3days and then the Inside chick is 2weeks 2 days, Already the inside chick is much larger than the rest has more feathers and is more active, I was thinking this might be to do with the infrared light or maybe other factors any ideas? This could be an interesting experiment one day, has anyone encountered this sort of growth difference?

Also a side note, i have a runt that is well looked after by its mum but its really tiny still has most of its down and has the smallest wings he almost looks like he is about a week old not 4 weeks. should i take special care or just hope for the best?

 

[cluck-cluck]

That is an interesting question. I'm curious about the single chick, does it cry a lot, as chicks are such social creatures? What if anything, do you do to make it not feel alone? It could be it's eating more because it's lonely or something? Also, are they all the same breed? Different breeds do grow at different rates sometimes.

Still, an interesting question! It has no competition for food either, so it might get more to eat than the other chicks?

 

[Hannah11]

Yeah I did get worried it would be lonely, but I spend most of my time at home and it comes with me everywhere so now it only cries if i put her back in her brooder when I'm cooking or whatever, but also, i have lots of things in the brooder for her (chick jungle gym and play treat ball.... she's spoilt! they are meant to be all bantam X but I can't be sure, i was thinking maybe the cold outside was stunting their growth? but you are right she has easy access to the feed I'm sure she would end up getting more than the others.

I hope she is not lonely or bored, i let her follow me around the house and she comes into the glass house for lots of play time! any tips to keeping her happy?

 

[cluck-cluck]

Well, is there a reason she can't go outside with the others? I had one Serama hatch last week, it was so cute, but so lonely. I put a mirror in its brooder along with a fuzzy owl, and it did ok. When my order of Sultan Bantams came from Ideal Hatchery two days later, they all went into the brooder, and my little Serama was overwhelmed and a bit nervous. But in no time it seemed, it just joined in on whatever the group was doing and even learned to peck back at some of them, which was so funny! I think I saw the first time it did that, and it learned that these bigger chicks were sissies and became more bold, LOL. It's definitely not at the bottom of the pecking order, even so it's so much smaller! It's a very happy chick now and I hope it will be a boy

 

[Hannah11]

We Picked up 2 hens with four chicks each from a guy who needed to get rid of a few chooks, they were both fine except he had a few extra eggs from one but he told me the were probably dead and the hen was ignoring them, he asked if i wanted to try to get her to sit on them but said there wasn't much chance, I got them home and put her and the chicks in a smaller house but she wouldn't sit and kept kicking them out of the house, I tried to keep at it but it was no hope i presumed they were all dead but took them inside and put them under the heat lamp just incase and then one hatched in the next several hours, so i tried to put it under the mother in the night when i went to go check on it in the morning the mother was chasing it away and pecking it so i watched for a while and then took her in and set up the brooder I hope what I did was okay, but I have been introducing her to some of my friendly battery hens and she stands up tall and gets into there faces and skwaks! they run for it... i think she's a tough little thing like yours.

 

[cluck-cluck]

That's great, she'll probably be fine with them! It's nice you have gentle hens for her to join

 

[Hannah11]

Yeah her mother has kicked all the gentle hens and little rooster out off the coop she's a grump so I have another part set up for them, the battery hens are very docile considering their lives so far, but i think they will get along fine in the front yard away from grumpy mum! Im glad your little chick is doing well too! fingers crossed you got a lad!

 

[cluck-cluck]

Where do you get battery hens? From closed down facilities or is it a rescue when they're ready to slaughter the hens? So sad! It's nice that they end up being so sweet!

 

[Hannah11]

Oh I'm not sure how in america I'm from new zealand I just went into the factory and you could buy the direct just before the were due to be slaughtered. I had another and she was a darling, liked being pet, and chasing for treats even ate from my hand! they just need time although I had to watch out for the poor cat the hen didn't like her!

 

[cluck-cluck]

Oh, I see. I'm really hoping my hens will continue to produce eggs into old age. Doesn't have to be a lot but some would be nice. I'll have to keep that in mind when my hens get old and start dying off or things happen to them. Right now we're full up! Ugh!