Should I name it Benjamin Button?

[itsy gritsy]

Hi All, our Marans (5) just started week three. I was so amazed at how quickly feathers started coming in and have been watching them closely. Four of them have their wing feathers, some to all tailfeathers, partial to full leg feathers and shoulder feathers. Just noticed chest feathers on one yesterday. I am however confused by the one who had started wing feathers with some of the birds who are now very feathered, yet it appears it stopped shorty after that as it just today has started showing some baby tailfeathers.

We're looking at the little one in the back.

Again, the little darker one in the back

Again, the little one in the back. Yesterday night it looked a little like it might be making a nuisance of itself snuggling under some of the others.
Am I overreacting? Did I do something wrong and do I need to do something different with the temperatures in the brooder for it if its feathering is behind? The thermometer has been reading 85 degrees for 24 hours.
Thank you for help and observations!

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

85 is pretty warm for 3 week old chicks, that's unusual the first week in my brooder. I recommend lowering your heat and making sure your chicks can get away from the heat.

As far as the feathering some just feather slower than others. Make sure you are feeding a good starter. They need the protein and vitamins to grow feathers.

 

[itsy gritsy]

85 is pretty warm for 3 week old chicks, that's unusual the first week in my brooder. I recommend lowering your heat and making sure your chicks can get away from the heat.

?The Purina leaflet, the breeder/hatcher and my feed store/farmer said start at 95 the first week and go down 5 degrees each week from there. Is that not a safe protocol?
Its our first time with chicks so due to nervousness about temperature I have been checking 8-10 times a day. The first week the temperature more averaged 92, but it was sunny and the room temp went up bringing the chick space temp with it and then it would fluctuate down with cold overnight temps. Last week it was overcast and fairly easy to keep at 90.
OldHen, Are you thinking that the slow feathering on the one might be due to warmer temps?

 

[rosemarythyme]

?The Purina leaflet, the breeder/hatcher and my feed store/farmer said start at 95 the first week and go down 5 degrees each week from there.

Are you thinking that the slow feathering on the one might be due to warmer temps?

Don't worry about the actual temps too much, go by their behavior. If they're spread out around the brooder and not making distressed sounds, they're fine. Clumped up, especially under lamp = too cold. Very spread out and staying far away from heat = too hot. I never monitored temperatures, I just check their behavior each time I lower the heat. I'm pretty sure I've always gone lower than what's "recommended" and never had issue with it. Fluctuations won't bother them either, as long as it's not a massive temperature swing.

Also helps to turn off the red light for photos, it makes for very hard to see photos. Don't worry they'll be fine while you snap a photo or two.

I know this isn't 100% true but from my experience a slow feathering chick is often a male.

 

[Chickassan]

I wouldn't fret, nothing you're doing is causing one to feather slowly.
It could be genetics or you just have a little rooster.
Last slow feather bird here wasn't male but did turn out extremely small.
You'll have to wait and see what you've got going on.

 

[aart]

Some just feather differently than others...but...

The thermometer has been reading 85 degrees for 24 hours.

I hope they also have a cooler place in the brooder to be.
Does the Purina thing mention that?

Here's my notes on chick heat, hope something in there might help:
They need to be pretty warm(~85-90F on the brooder floor right under the lamp and 10-20 degrees cooler at the other end of brooder) for the first day or two, especially if they have been shipped, until they get to eating, drinking and moving around well. But after that it's best to keep them as cool as possible for optimal feather growth and quicker acclimation to outside temps. A lot of chick illnesses are attributed to too warm of a brooder. I do think it's a good idea to use a thermometer on the floor of the brooder to check the temps, especially when new at brooding, later I still use it but more out of curiosity than need.

The best indicator of heat levels is to watch their behavior:
-If they are huddled/piled up right under the lamp and cheeping very loudly, they are too cold.
-If they are spread out on the absolute edges of the brooder as far from the lamp as possible, panting and/or cheeping very loudly, they are too hot.
-If they sleep around the edge of the lamp calmly just next to each other and spend time running all around the brooder they are juuuust right!

The lamp is best at one end of the brooder with food/water at the other cooler end of the brooder, so they can get away from the heat or be under it as needed. Wattage of 'heat' bulb depends on size of brooder and ambient temperature of room brooder is in. Regular incandescent bulbs can be used, you might not need a 'heat bulb'. If you do use a heat bulb make sure it's specifically for poultry, some heat bulbs for food have teflon coatings that can kill birds. You can get red colored incandescent bulbs at a reptile supply source. A dimmer extension cord is an excellent way to adjust the output of the bulb to change the heat without changing the height of the lamp.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

?The Purina leaflet, the breeder/hatcher and my feed store/farmer said start at 95 the first week and go down 5 degrees each week from there. Is that not a safe protocol?
Its our first time with chicks so due to nervousness about temperature I have been checking 8-10 times a day. The first week the temperature more averaged 92, but it was sunny and the room temp went up bringing the chick space temp with it and then it would fluctuate down with cold overnight temps. Last week it was overcast and fairly easy to keep at 90.
OldHen, Are you thinking that the slow feathering on the one might be due to warmer temps?

I personally have found that 95 is a bit too warm that first week. I think the others covered judging the heat correctly. I also agree in many breed slower feathering can indicate a male, but not always.

I personally give my chicks a daily treat of scrambled eggs which seems to help them feather faster, but it can make them a bit more stinky.

 

[itsy gritsy]

The brooder tub varies about 8-10 degrees one end to the other and the heat lamp is closer to the window to hopefully cancel out the window effect. And I have the food and electrolytes at the other end.
When I checked recently temp had swung back up to ninety and one of the blues was sitting right below the bulb in the hottest patch of light??
I picked it up and moved it to one side as it was panting and it ran back to the middle again???
I may name that one after my uncle who has been known to lay on the beach until he was lobster red.
I have also raised the lamp a little will check again shortly.
Thank you for your input everybody!

 

[itsy gritsy]

Don't worry about the actual temps too much, go by their behavior. If they're spread out around the brooder and not making distressed sounds, they're fine.

Rosemarythyme~
I have actually been surprised at how quiet they are, unless we are in there talking to them.
When my friend had chicks and I was staying there they peeped all night long!

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

The brooder tub varies about 8-10 degrees one end to the other and the heat lamp is closer to the window to hopefully cancel out the window effect. And I have the food and electrolytes at the other end.
When I checked recently temp had swung back up to ninety and one of the blues was sitting right below the bulb in the hottest patch of light??
I picked it up and moved it to one side as it was panting and it ran back to the middle again???
I may name that one after my uncle who has been known to lay on the beach until he was lobster red.
I have also raised the lamp a little will check again shortly.
Thank you for your input everybody!

Good thing you are keeping an eye on them. Chicks can die from heat stroke. They don't always make the best decisions when younger.