SO who knew and didn't tell me

[Clay In Iowa]

In one week Chicks triple in size and grow enough feathers to fly short distances.

I CAN NOT BELIEVE how fast my chicks are growing. One of the Amaraucna chicks had pin feathers 3 days after hatching and now one week later almost fully feathered wings and tail and can already fly 8 to 10 inches off the ground. I had to put a cover on the brooder last night.

I'm stunned at the growth rate.

 

[ranchhand]

They are so cute and agile at that age! I love the way they take off like little helicopters.

 

[patandchickens]

I know, isn't it just impossible? Literally their feathers grow perceptibly between 8 a.m. and noon. Very strange. Very cool!

Pat

 

[texas_chick]

Wow! I had no idea either! Now I can't wait to get mine

 

[Clay In Iowa]

So true Pat ... It's just Amazing. I told my wife I think I could almost stand there and watch them grow.

At one week just their bellies are about 50% larger than the eggs they came out of. And then there's those long legs and necks. I just had no idea they grew so fast ..... and just so you know Texas_chick... OMG can they eat...... 10 chicks 2 quart jars of chick starter a day and they would probably eat twice that. I'm going to have to buy larger feeders already.

 

[texas_chick]

Quote:
Holy cow! I was actually worried that the feed store only carried the big bags of starter feed and that it would lose nutrients before we could use it up ...

So let me guess... that equates into a whole lot of poop?!

 

[Clay In Iowa]

Quote:

They eat sleep and make poop... lots of poop...So get a large bag of feed ( I was worried to) and a large bag of bedding. Even if you only have 5 or 10 chicks you'll go through it.

 

[Ec_Prokta]

 

[TXmom]

I am as shocked as you are! Mine are 2 1/2 weeks old, and there are 17 of them. I started with a 5-pound bag of feed and it lasted less than a week! Now I have a 25-pound bag and it's going fast... We already had to build them a new brooder because they're HUGE. Most of them can easily fly from the floor of the new brooder to the top edge and sit there...it's 2 feet tall

 

[miss_jayne]

i totally forgot to send you the memo. you can blame me.