One of my chicks has ZERO tail feathers

[KayChickMom29]

One of my 2 week old ISA Brown chicks is the smallest out of my 5 girls. 1 other ISA Brown and 3 Rhode Island Reds, all 2 weeks old. But my smallest girl, I started calling her Butterball, hasn't grown any tail feathers! And her wings are slower growing in too. Whereas everyone else is growing in their wings and tail feathers nicely. Everyone drinks, eats, and poops fine and regularly as far as i know. These are my 1st chicks ever. I want to make sure she's healthy and just a slow bloomer. (See pics! I included her sister, Betty White, for comparison)

 

[Lillith37]

She may just be a late bloomer. If she is otherwise acting normal, I would just make sure her crop is full at bed time and emptying by the morning to make sure she is getting enough to eat.

 

[KayChickMom29]

She may just be a late bloomer. If she is otherwise acting normal, I would just make sure her crop is full at bed time and emptying by the morning to make sure she is getting enough to eat.

So I have no idea what I'm feeling when I touch around her breast/crop area is it normal for it to almost engorged like a food baby? Cause I think sometimes they overstuffed themselves

 

[Lillith37]

So I have no idea what I'm feeling when I touch around her breast/crop area is it normal for it to almost engorged like a food baby? Cause I think sometimes they overstuffed themselves

Yeah so the crop is a muscular pouch that sits at the right side of their breast and when it is full of food should be easily felt and in chicks it’s pretty easy just to see it sticking out because they don’t have their feathers yet. They will eat and digest intermittently throughout the day and should instinctively fill up before bed time so they have a big meal to digest overnight.

 

[sourland]

Picture is of a healthy chick. They are all individuals and develop at different rates. You have no problem with that chick.

 

[KayChickMom29]

Yeah so the crop is a muscular pouch that sits at the right side of their breast and when it is full of food should be easily felt and in chicks it’s pretty easy just to see it sticking out because they don’t have their feathers yet. They will eat and digest intermittently throughout the day and should instinctively fill up before bed time so they have a big meal to digest overnight.

Ok, then I think that's what everyone is doing, including my Itty bitty one. Also, with them being 2 weeks old, I've been leaving the heat lamp on, because here in Southeastern Virginia, we still have days with lows of mid 30s. Though it's slowly warming up to lows of mid 50s and highs of 60-70s. Do they still need the heat lamp at night? The heat in their brooder has been sitting at 90 degrees since they hit 2 weeks last Friday.

 

[KayChickMom29]

Picture is of a healthy chick. They are all individuals and develop at different rates. You have no problem with that chick.

Thanks! Making sure they're all okay has my nerves sky high. I had 6 chicks originally, but lost one of my ISA Browns a couple of days after bringing them home and I still don't know what happened. So it's good to know the rest seem healthy and unbothered

 

[Lillith37]

Ok, then I think that's what everyone is doing, including my Itty bitty one. Also, with them being 2 weeks old, I've been leaving the heat lamp on, because here in Southeastern Virginia, we still have days with lows of mid 30s. Though it's slowly warming up to lows of mid 50s and highs of 60-70s. Do they still need the heat lamp at night? The heat in their brooder has been sitting at 90 degrees since they hit 2 weeks last Friday.

They need some source of warmth whilst they are feathering out because they can’t regulate their temperature without feathers. I know that you gradually decrease the heat in the brooder as they get older. I have always had a hen raise chicks so unfortunately I can’t comment on the specific temps required. I do know it’s best to have the heat source at one end of the brooder so the chicks can go to warm up and cool down as they require. If the chicks are spaced evenly in the brooder it means they are okay. If they are clustered away from the heat source they are probably too hot, and if they are huddled around it they are too cold. Just watch them and you’ll see if you need to adjust the temp.

 

[Chicken_tiger_catt]

One of my 2 week old ISA Brown chicks is the smallest out of my 5 girls. 1 other ISA Brown and 3 Rhode Island Reds, all 2 weeks old. But my smallest girl, I started calling her Butterball, hasn't grown any tail feathers! And her wings are slower growing in too. Whereas everyone else is growing in their wings and tail feathers nicely. Everyone drinks, eats, and poops fine and regularly as far as i know. These are my 1st chicks ever. I want to make sure she's healthy and just a slow bloomer. (See pics! I included her sister, Betty White, for comparison)

slow feathering tail? that may be a rooster.

 

[NatJ]

The heat in their brooder has been sitting at 90 degrees since they hit 2 weeks last Friday.

Is that 90 degrees everywhere, or is that 90 degrees in one place with other areas cooler?

Chicks do not need a temperature that is the same everywhere.

They need one place to warm up when they are cold (under a broody hen, under a heat lamp, etc.) They will usually sleep in the warm place too.

Other than that, chicks should have access to whatever temperature is naturally available. The more they have the choice to go play in cool temperatures, the more they will adapt themselves to those temperatures.