Under-sized chickens???

[chickfluff]

ok, I might be worrying over nothing, but my 10-week old chicks seem very small to me. I've looked at pictures online and the ones on here seem very large for 10 weeks, compared to mine. I'm on vacation right now, so the last time I saw them was a couple days ago, and I'll only be gone for another few days.( don't worry, I have a friend who is caring for them.) They aren't tiny, and actually when you pick 2 of them up, they feel quite plump. They all seem very healthy and active and affectionate, but they seem so small for 10 weeks. I'm hoping they had a growth spurt (

) during the few days I was gone, but I doubt it. Anyway, I could use some ideas on what might be the problem, if there is one. (sorry there aren't any updated pics of them right now.)

Oh, and another question I had was when you start chicks on adult grit.

Thanks!!

 

[sunket77]

what are you feeding them? is it possible they are bantam?

 

[chickfluff]

What should I be feeding them? I'm giving them chick feed right now, is that ok? And I doubt they are bantams because they were the right size for a standard breed when they were chicks.

 

[WalkingWolf]

Different breeds have different growth rates. It would depend on the breed of chicken you have. The size and growth rate can even be varied by bloodline. Chick starter is what you should have them on, it is varied by personal choice on the age of changing the diet. Personally I do not take them off of starter until at least 12 weeks. I like to keep mine on until they start laying eggs or at least a starter grower mix, until then. It would help to know the breed of chicks you have.

 

[chickfluff]

Quote:
I've got an EE, BO, BR and BA

 

[ChikeeMomma]

Different breed do run different sizes. The EE will tend to be a little smaller. I do have five EEs and one of them was considerably smaller than it's sisters. So I started wondering did I have some sort of standard/bantam cross. But she had a growth spurt and it just a hair smaller than her sisters now. Not even noticable unless you look really hard.

 

[sherrydeanne]

My chicks all seemed to stagnate between 6-9 weeks. Wait until 12 weeks; they'll seem huge all of a sudden