Outside chicks with mama hen slow to feather...

[jossanne]

I've got six 1-month-old chicks outside with their mama hen, and they're feathering out very slowly. I was looking at pictures of their parents when they were 3 weeks old, and they were more feathered out than these babies are even though they were a week younger. I've also got a brooder full of nearly 2wk old chicks in the house, and they're nearly as feathered out as the outside chicks.

Why is this? Anyone? All I can think of is that maybe they're not staying as warm as these babies inside, so they're using growth energy to keep warm? This has been wierd spring weather, and I know they're warm when they're under mama, but they're not under her much these days.

 

[debilorrah]

The only thing I can think of is that the weather is warmer and they are under mama, so maybe it slowed the growth?

 

[elmo]

Feathers are made of protein, so I'd think about whether the outside chicks are getting less protein in their diets somehow? I wonder about that, too, since I see our chicks out with their hen eat all manner of ghastly stuff they pick up in the yard, even though there's very high quality chick feed in their feeder all the time. But our outdoor chicks seem to be growing way faster than the chicks we brooded indoors last spring.

 

[jossanne]

I've got mama and the babies closed in full-time, eating the same medicated chick starter feed as the chicks inside. Our spring weather has been very wierd and cold. We've even had snow the last week of April and first week of May, which is HIGHLY unusual for southern NM springtime. All the new leaves froze on my trees last weekend!

 

[rstampa]

Actually you would thing they would feather out faster outside because of the cool weather. Their bodies would what to produce more feathers to keep them warmer. ????? I'm sure in a few weeks you won't tell the difference.
Happy Mothers Day.