Our rooster died last year so we got baby chicks this year from our local Farmers Union. It's been 8 years since we had to raise our own without a mom to raise them herself. Anyway, we only got 10. We needed a few more because the 9 remaining ones we had are getting close to retirement age (We keep our hens after their lifelong service until they die; we donate 85% of our eggs to the local food bank, so the hens are just part of our menagerie on the farm.).
We got 8 chicks, but the Speckled Sussex came in a week later by mistake. Still, they're only a week younger than the others. The two that are supposed to be Speckled Sussex are SO MUCH SMALLER than the others--especially one. (We call them Lizzie and Izzie.) Both are eating well and don't seem to have any problems, but honestly, Izzie is about 1/4 size of the rest of the 6 week old chicks. I've never had such a small chick before. Then, I got to wondering--IS she a Speckled Sussex? I figure she'll be at the bottom of the pecking order if she's so small--but, she doesn't seem as though she is yet. I am just concerned at having one so much smaller--well, two--than the rest of the hens. Should I be?
Hard to find pictures of her showing how much smaller she is, but I'll try. This one I've attached shows her way in the back corner by the nesting box and you can see her size is smaller than the others.
We got 8 chicks, but the Speckled Sussex came in a week later by mistake. Still, they're only a week younger than the others. The two that are supposed to be Speckled Sussex are SO MUCH SMALLER than the others--especially one. (We call them Lizzie and Izzie.) Both are eating well and don't seem to have any problems, but honestly, Izzie is about 1/4 size of the rest of the 6 week old chicks. I've never had such a small chick before. Then, I got to wondering--IS she a Speckled Sussex? I figure she'll be at the bottom of the pecking order if she's so small--but, she doesn't seem as though she is yet. I am just concerned at having one so much smaller--well, two--than the rest of the hens. Should I be?
Hard to find pictures of her showing how much smaller she is, but I'll try. This one I've attached shows her way in the back corner by the nesting box and you can see her size is smaller than the others.
