Salmon Faverolle Cockerel - Late Bloomer or is Something Wrong?

[UneggspectedChickenLady]

Hello! We have a Salmon Faverolle cockerel and he’s a few days shy of three months old. As you can see, his neck still isn’t fully feathered (feathers on his head grew this last week) and his comb is struggling… it starts to pink up in spots then turns purple. He’s very low speed/low energy compared to his one week younger Salmon Faverolle “sister”. Definitely not even attempting to crow yet. Should I be worried? If so, of what? I’ve never had a chick take this long to develop. He eats, drinks, preens, sun bathes… seems normal except for his slow growth rate and lower energy. I still have him on starter feed to try to help with his feathers and have added daily vitamins/electrolytes. But I haven’t put him outside yet since he isn’t fully feathered (our lows are in the low to mid 50s). Am I being too cautious? I’m attaching pics from when he was one month old and progressing to the latest from today, at nearly 3 months old. Any guidance, experience, etc would be much appreciated!

 

[heatherbeast]

I've seen a lot of folks comment that their Favorelle boys seem to take a long time to develop. Mine is coming up on 2 months and still isn't fully feathered on his back, even though he does have his neckbeard coming in. I'm noticing a lot of curls on his feathers?

 

[UneggspectedChickenLady]

I've seen a lot of folks comment that their Favorelle boys seem to take a long time to develop. Mine is coming up on 2 months and still isn't fully feathered on his back, even though he does have his neckbeard coming in. I'm noticing a lot of curls on his feathers?

View attachment 4162719

Do you mean curly around his chest? Does that mean something? I’ve only had one roo and he grew very fast and was always the most healthy looking guy…

Are you keeping your guy on starter food until he’s done feathering or doing anything else you recommend to support him in his slow development?

 

[heatherbeast]

Do you mean curly around his chest? Does that mean something? I’ve only had one roo and he grew very fast and was always the most healthy looking guy…

Are you keeping your guy on starter food until he’s done feathering or doing anything else you recommend to support him in his slow development?

Yes, the curling at the ends -- you can see it on his wing tips, too. I THINK it has something to do with "hard feathering" but I have not had time to read up on it.

20-22% starter, wouldn't hurt to add probiotics or yogurt to their water. There's vitamins as well like Rooster Booster or Poultry Cell. In general, magnesium and selenium both help with absorption.

 

[Altairsky]

It's probably poor genetics, so the breeder's fault. We had many inbred ayam cemani with the same issues in my area. They looked so ugly they made me go bad the whole breed. I wouldn't buy from the same hatchery again and I probably wouldn't breed this boy.

 

[LaFleche]

But I haven’t put him outside yet since he isn’t fully feathered (our lows are in the low to mid 50s). Am I being too cautious?

Yes, you are!

Chicks can and in fact need to be outside from the age of 2-3 weeks on to exercise and roam around while getting exposed to natural sunlight to prevent severe health and behavioural issues.

https://www.msdvetmanual.com/poultry/nutrition-and-management-poultry/vitamin-deficiencies-in-poultry

 

[UneggspectedChickenLady]

Yes, you are!

Chicks can and in fact need to be outside from the age of 2-3 weeks on to exercise and roam around while getting exposed to natural sunlight to prevent severe health and behavioural issues.

https://www.msdvetmanual.com/poultry/nutrition-and-management-poultry/vitamin-deficiencies-in-poultry

Thank you! To clarify - he goes out every day in integration area with his sister. I’m just not letting him sleep outside. But it’s well past time to integrate them so do you think he’d be ok at night?

 

[LaFleche]

Thanks for the clarification.

I think he should.

In case his slow development and blueish comb colour are caused by a congenital heart condition, staying inside will not improve it.

Maybe try and deworm him just to make sure internal parasites are not depriving him of essential nutrients.

 

[Folly's place]

I don't think this is a good story, and also wonder about genetic issues here. Agree about possible heart issues.
About diet: do you check the mill date on each bag of food before buying it? It should be fed within two or at most three months of milling, as some vitamins deteriorate over time. Also, is it a crumble or whole grain feed? Birds will select the good stuff out of a whole grain feed and unbalance their diet.
Breeding stock should be healthy in every way, and not need special care to survive and thrive. If you want to keep him going as a pet, fine, but not as a breeder.
Mary

 

[Folly's place]

Our few Salmon Favorelles were happy and healthy, and grew at a 'normal' rate with everyone else. Wonderful birds! We don't have any now, but will again sometime. They were easily bullied by the sex-links we had at the same time, so I think do best with other mild mannered breed types.
Mary
And I should spell check everything I post first!!!