my babies are smaller.....

[gocrow77]

I recently went back to the store where I got my 10-12 week old chicks several weeks ago. They had some "leftover" chicks there and some were the same batches/bins I got my pullets from. I was shocked to see that the chicks that remained at the store were significantly bigger than the same ones I have here at home - albeit much more scruffy and miserable looking with broken feathers and obvious picking going on in there. Why does it seem that their chicks are growing so much faster? I have mine on a grower ration along with all kinds of kitchen goodies/scraps (they got hot dogs that hubby "accidently dropped" when taking them off the grill last night) and they free range! Is it because mine free range and run off some of the feed and theirs are still in a brooder all cooped up with no way to exercise? I thought I was doing well with them, they all seem healthy and happy and I never even lost any of them - this is my first time around chickens since I was a little kid. Am I missing something I should be giving them? I want mine to be as big as the ones at the feed store - just not all pecked and miserable. Why are theirs bigger?

 

[gocrow77]

Anyone?

 

[Judy]

My guess would be the treats, unless there is a lot of protein in them. They need the nutrition of the feed, so if they fill up on a lot of veggie scraps, they lose out on protein. The free ranging will make them develop more muscle, but I wouldn't think it would cause them to develop more slowly.

 

[Mahonri]

All they have to do is EAT, sleep, poop and pick on each other. They aren't as happy as your chicks. Did you bring some more of them home?

 

[gocrow77]

I was VERY tempted but DH would kill me since I was just able to talk him into an incubator AND a few POL pullets from a breeder friend of ours. I felt bad leaving them there, but at the same time felt good that my little ones look SOOOO much healthier. They almost looked sickly too so I wasn't real keen on bringing them home to my healthy ones. DH said it may just be the scruffy, puffy, broken, not laying right feathers that made them look bigger than mine - but I think he was just saying that to reassure me! I want to be sure I am not leaving out something they need to be growing right.... If the feed store birds are growing that fast on minimal maintainance/care I just figured mine should be at least as big as theirs.