Not feathering out under Ecoglow 50

[hokankai]

I have 11 bantam chicks in my brooder with the Ecoglow 50. They are about 2 weeks old now and are feathering out slowly it seems. They only have their wing feathers, and a few of them are getting their first tail feathers.

Has anyone had experience with chicks feathering slowly under the Ecoglow? The brooder is in the window and gets sun during the day as well. I worry that they're spending too much time getting warm and not enough time out to stimulate feather growth. Any ideas?

 

[DraigAthar]

I have two ecoglows, a 20 and a 50, and I've never noticed chicks feathering slowly under them, as compared to brood lamps or momma hens. Could it be the breed(s) you have? I hatch mostly Dominiques, which tend to feather out fast, but last year I had a cochin and a couple cross-breeds in with some Doms and the difference was startling. I swear that cochin seemed naked for ages!

Another thought could be the ambient temperature. I find that chicks hatched by broody hens very early in the spring feather out a little faster. I imagine it's because they are exposed to fluctuating temperatures much more. They run around a bit, get cold very quickly, warm back up under momma, go out to run around and get cold again. My summer hatched chicks feathered a little more slowly, but the difference was not huge.

 

[hokankai]

I have bantam sultans, sizzles, a bantam BR, and a little mix. They all seem to be feathering out the same, but they are in a window so the sun keeps it nice and toasty. This is my first brood under the Ecoglow