Undersized Chicks at 18 Weeks

[SmallStep]

I’m raising my second batch of babies. They’ve been on starter grower...free choice for 18 weeks. I’ve been using Bartlett’s. My chics are nowhere big enough to integrate with the four adults I have left from my first group that I got in 2016. I’ve also supplemented with grass, Swiss chard, earthworms when I find them. There are six chicks in a protected coop yard and I put them up every night because I have concerns that they are still small enough to be a black snake’s meal if one were to get through the chicken wire.
My neighbor has a batch a few weeks (at most) older than mine and hers are as big as full grown. You only know they’re pullets by the absence of wattle and much comb.
She got hers at the local farm store; I had mine shipped from McMurrey Hatchery in Iowa. I gave them electrolytes and probiotics.
Some of mine—the Red Stars—even have a little fuzz still on their heads. I got some leftover starter grower from my neighbor and gave them some as soon as I got home. They seem to like it but they like the Bartlett’s too. What in the world could be wrong? Help!

 

[DuckYouMan]

Something that I've found that works wonders is eggs. Whenever I have a weak chick or someone not eating or what seems to be not growing enough, I will scramble an egg and put it ina syringe. They go crazy for it after a few bites usually. If they're too sick, I will put the syringe in the mouth and give them little bits at a time. The vitamins in an egg are great for bringing things back from the brink. It will help bulk them up pretty quickly as well.

It's good to remember that all breeds mature differently as well. I wouldn't expect my tomaru to develop at the same pace as my serama. The bigger they are, the longer they take to mature (usually).

 

[SmallStep]

Something that I've found that works wonders is eggs. Whenever I have a weak chick or someone not eating or what seems to be not growing enough, I will scramble an egg and put it ina syringe. They go crazy for it after a few bites usually. If they're too sick, I will put the syringe in the mouth and give them little bits at a time. The vitamins in an egg are great for bringing things back from the brink. It will help bulk them up pretty quickly as well.

It's good to remember that all breeds mature differently as well. I wouldn't expect my tomaru to develop at the same pace as my serama. The bigger they are, the longer they take to mature (usually).

 

[HappyClucker7]

Are you sure you actually got the breeds you ordered, and you didn't accidentally end up with bantams?

 

[SmallStep]

Thanks for the reply. The weird thing is that these little girls aren’t weak or sickly. They’re active; they burst out of the coop in the morning when I let them out. They run around like crazy, going after every bug that moves. I have two red stars, two Americaunas, and two silver-laced Wyandotte’s. The red stars are smallest but all are undersized for their age.

 

[SmallStep]

I did consider that maybe I got bantams, but I don’t think McMurray has bantam breeds in the ones I have.

 

[HappyClucker7]

Could you maybe post some pictures of the chicks?

 

[Hucklekree]

I have eight, 6 week old chicks from McMurray that have yet to completely feather out.

The Salmon Faverolle only has wing feathers, a Delaware has most body feathers and wings, the five WFBS need head feathers still. It has been so weird watching the 30 plus other chicks grow and feather out while these eight just continue to lag. I had to eventually put the Faverolle in with two week old chicks because, despite his size, he is mostly down.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

I've had 2 chicks (one I bought at a feed store and one I hatched out of a shipped egg) that took much longer. Now though you can't tell them apart from their siblings besides the fact one is the male of a pair and the other has better feather patterns than he sister

 

[21hens-incharge]

What's the protein percentage on the feed you are using?
How old is the bag of feed? There should be a mill date on there somewhere.