So when do they start looking like chickens?

[happymomof5]

I have 6 ISA browns and 6 Araucanas. They are 3 weeks old. The Araucanas are getting beautiful feathers, but as they grow you don't see them in the pin much. The ISA's have pins all over that are falling off a little each day, showing their beautiful brown feathers. They're kind of ugly right now, but I love them anyways (really, it's quite ridiculous how much I love my chickens. Almost as much as my dog.)

Anyway, at what point do they start to really look like adults? It's probably different for each breed. Also, another question: I read that ISA's can start laying at 5 months, is that typical?

Thanks in advance; I'm sure these are silly questions.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I call that two to three week old age the dinosaur phase. And just let them run out of food for a bit, then put some in there. More like velociraptors.

I have not had your breeds, but in another week or two, expect them to pretty much be covered with feathers. It will not be their final adult plumage and their shape will still be chick and not adult chicken, but they will look a lot better. It will vary some by breed, climate, feeding regimen, and who knows what else, but somewhere between 12 and 16 weeks, they should look a lot more like the adults. They will go through their last juvenile molt during this time period and put on their adult plumage. The colors and patterns won't change that much unless there are some recessive pattern or color genes working, but some pattern change is possible.

It is possible that a chicken can start to lay as early as 16 weeks. It is highly unlikely but possible. It is also possible that a chicken will wait for 7 or 8 months or even longer to start laying. It can vary a lot by individual. I don't know about true Araucanas, but if they are really the EE's which most hatcheries sell, they have a reputation to start laying a bit later. Some of the ISA Browns could start laying fairly early. I'd suggest at 18 weeks have the nest boxes open with fake eggs in there to show them where to lay. A week or two earlier would not hurt, but I'd set 18 weeks as a deadline to be ready.

I have different breeds than you and I had twice as many pullets. My first one started laying at 18 weeks. At 20 weeks, two more joined in. At 22 weeks another two joined them. It kinda progressed that way, a few starting, but the rest waiting. And they do not necessarily lay every day.

Some people feed extra high powered feed to try to start them laying as early as possible. I prefer to keep them on a regular diet so the pullet's body has time to mature and her egg laying factory has time to develop. I get fewer of those weird first eggs and there is less chance of her getting eggbound or prolapsed.

Good luck!!

 

[imthedude]

ours are 6 weeks old as of yesterday and just as of the last week or so have they started to look like full-on chickens that are fully covered in adult-looking feathers. not sure if your breeds will show same, similar, or different progress.

 

[nlove_3000]

Same answer here. My 4 and 5 weekers still look ackward. At about 6 weeks they start to look a little more like chickens...and at 7 weeks it looks like they'll just be fattening up and placing their 'minor details'.

 

[Shifty Joe]

It's kind of funny that even chickens have the 8th grade picture period in life, minus the braces. In my flock the hens started to lay the day after the roosters made the migration into the freezer (5 1/2 months). I was going in with a fake egg to "encourage" them to lay and a pullet was in the nest. She quickly got out and I swear she pointed to the egg as if to say "I can stay, right?". Once that first egg was laid, everyone else follow suit in short order.

 

[Chieftain]

I know what you mean! My two 4 week old Black Jersey Giants look like a cross between an unmade bed and an cheap extra in a "C" Grade Horror flick! They have long skinny necks with very few feathers yet, and when they stretch that head up to snatch a mealworm out of my hand with that gnarly beak and lizard-looking eyes it almost triggers a primal panic response...

Seriously, give them a few more weeks. All of a sudden you'll notice they look like real chickens, and you'll wonder when it happened....

 

[loopy12]

i agree - I think they look like dinosaurs with their half fluff half feathers...its the long necks I think...

And ditto on the 6 weeks-ish.

I just posted this picture in answer to another question, so since I still had it on my clipboard, may as well repost it here...6 week old chicks, looking like mini chickens...

 

[Davaroo]

Quote:
Great questions, really.

First, really try need to get a handle on the whole 'patience' thing. These are living creatures and take their own time,. They dont watch a calendar or know what to do about clocks.

They will start to look like adults at 12-16 weeks. Most chickens start laying at around 24 weeks. Som,e may get an early start, at 5 weeks. But dont bet on it - 24 weeks is the rule of thimb.

 

[loopy12]

Oh and they look like adults around 14-16 weeks in my experience.

 

[underground chickenman]

About 6 weeks and they are fully feathered, but they won't have decent combs and wattles for another 4 to 6 weeks. Many sex-links can lay as early as 16 weeks. I assume ISA Browns fall into that range. My red stars started laying at 17 weeks and they lay and lay and lay.

UGCM