Why slow growing??

[BigDaddy'sGurl]

I have been raising chickens for a good while now but am always at a loss when I see pics of some of the other BYCer's pullets/cockerals of the same age as mine. Why do my young birds seem like dwarves compared?? The bantams I understand but the LFs?? I am almost embarrassed to show pics of my birds that are the same age! What am I doing wrong?? I feed chick starter and let them free range as well as often as possible...am I missing something?

 

[BigDaddy'sGurl]

nobody have advice...?

 

[mamawolf544]

What breeds are you talking about? If you are feeding them plenty of chick starter and then chick grower and they free-range they may just be a bird that matures slower. I have birds that will be laying at 4 months and others that wont think about it before 6 or 7 months. It really just depends on the breed. I am sure yours are fine.

 

[BigDaddy'sGurl]

They are large breed birds. I just don't understand it. They look like mini me versions of everyone else's birds of the same ages...

 

[Ceilismom]

Are you comparing apples to oranges? Meaning, are you comparing hatchery stock to breeder stock?

 

[BigDaddy'sGurl]

Umm...don't think so? My chickens come from private breeders and many are mutts...and when compared to people on this board's mutts, mine fall far short size-wise...

 

[Pequena Bandada]

Do you keep the feeder stocked at all times, or are you measuring out a certain amount each day?

 

[hoppy]

at one time I thought i was feeding plenty of food to my chicks that were in with the adult birds. they were bantam size but large fowl in the fall. finally I realized the older hens were pushing the chicks away from the feeder and once I corrected that problem they caught up size wise. the next yr I did not make that mistake.