Very thin chicks

[TheSarahdactyl]

I have chicks who are about 10 weeks old and lately I have been noticing that they seem to have no meat on them, they are just bone. They are eating fine, have normal activity level, don't seem to have mites, and appear to have fine looking poops. I think I'm going to take a fecal sample in to work tomorrow to float and check under the microscope. But, does anyone have an idea what could be happening? I've raised a couple dozen healthy chicks, and these are the first that have me worried. Also, I should add that these are mixed breed chicks my husband hatched in his incubator. He thinks this is just a mixed breed issue.

 

[21hens-incharge]

What feed are you using?
What's the mill date on the bag?
Mill dates are usually printed on the sewn on band on the bottom.


Being mixed the parent breeds if lean like leghorns could make the chicks seem thin.

They do grow up before they fill out. But then you know that having raised chicks before.

 

[TheSarahdactyl]

They are eating Country Road medicated chick starter-grower. I can't seem to locate the mill date, but I have 8 other chicks, who are pure bred, in a separate group eating the same stuff with no issue. The mixed ones are a Brahma/Favorole and an Australorp/Barnvelder. I suppose my husband could be right about rhe breed issue. I am just alarmed at how skeletal they feel.

 

[sourland]

Not a bad idea to run fecals on them, but my gut says they are very likely from a 'fine built' breed, and are just doing what they are genetically programmed to become.