Smaller growth when birds are from a hatchery?

[silkieluver_07]

I ordered some silkies from Ideal on April 16, 2008. Right now they are 26 weeks old if I counted correctly.

My silkies that I have bred from my own stock are 16-18 weeks old, and tower over my hatchery silkies.

Is this common for hatchery stock to have a slower growth rate?

 

[PeeperKeeper]

That's an interesting question. I'd like to know if that's how it is too.

 

[silkiechicken]

Well, the strain from the hatchery is probably different than yours, and as it seems with silkies, the size difference between strains can be huge! I've seen different strains where the adults of one would be at least 2x the size of the adults from another.

 

[silkieluver_07]

Thanks for that info, silkiechicken. It just seems that my "strain" is way bigger than the hatchery stock. We're trying to fatten them up.

 

[Cuban Longtails]

All of my hatchery stock is much smaller than the breeder stock I have.

 

[speckledhen]

That's certainly the case with my breeder RIRs compared to the hatchery ones. And my Buff Orp pullet, Nugget, from Jody's flock, started out looking runty, but that girl is as large at 24 weeks old as my two hatchery Buff Orps who are almost 3 yrs old.

 

[gritsar]

I think it's the luck of the draw really. Depends on who the hatchery is getting their eggs from and how serious the breeder is about improving their breeding stock.
My light brahmas don't fit the standard real well, but they are extremely large.
My buff brahmas are small for brahmas, but all but two of them meet the standard. The two that don't appear to have had a dark brahma in their lineage.
My dark brahmas are close to the standard and (as far as I can tell) the correct size for the breed.
All three colors from the same hatchery. JMO.