Baby chick weight/growth

[Meech]

Hi all,

Any help or suggestions on the below are helpful and appreciated, just want to ensure I am doing right by these little chickies.

I have 5 chicks that are 6 weeks old. 1 seems to be growing very slowly. She is getting her feathers in slowly but not like the others and is much smaller. She is very active and eats a lot. Tested for cocci which was negative.

When I searched average weights for 6 week chicks it seems to be much higher so they all seem to be under weight. So now I am wondering if they are all below should I be concerned?


Weights ranges from 172g - 238g
In 2 days they gained 16-23g so they are gaining weight (using a kitchen scale)

Food is Modesto starter and grower which is left out all day/night (they have a sleeping area but still able to access the other area where food is if needed)
they shared/ate 1/2 hard boiled egg 2x this week
Water and bedding is cleaned each day

Some things I have noticed..

• I have heard them sneeze here and there but it hasn’t been crazy
• Pretty active but the past 2 days they seemed like they have all been less active. It’s been cooler/cloudy than normal but still warm in the room. When I let them out they will run around the entire time.
• We normally go outside for a bit but haven’t the past 3 days because of the weather

Picture shows the smallest and biggest of the group the 2 brown ones

 

[Meech]

Also provide electorlytes and probiotics 1x week. Switching which one it is each week.

 

[rosemarythyme]

No reason for electrolytes at all unless you're compensating for some sort of stressor, i.e. very high heat, new home, etc.

Do you know all the breeds you got? Trying to compare weight of a 6 week old Brahma is going to be very different than a 6 wk old Fayoumi. So I wouldn't bother trying to compare weights to average.

The small bird is either runty or a failure to thrive case, but at 6 weeks it's hopefully more likely the former. If she's active and eating well then that's really the best you can hope for.

 

[Meech]

No reason for electrolytes at all unless you're compensating for some sort of stressor, i.e. very high heat, new home, etc.

Do you know all the breeds you got? Trying to compare weight of a 6 week old Brahma is going to be very different than a 6 wk old Fayoumi. So I wouldn't bother trying to compare weights to average.

The small bird is either runty or a failure to thrive case, but at 6 weeks it's hopefully more likely the former. If she's active and eating well then that's really the best you can hope for.

 

[Meech]

Yes they are…
RIR 172g
jubilee Orpington 313g
green queen 214g
barred rock band 212g
golden buff 238g

Yes I was reading on the FTT and hoping she’s smaller.

Thank you!

 

[rosemarythyme]

Yeah I'd expect an Orp to be on the heavier side, for example, and an EE type (i.e. Green Queen) to be lighter. And just like humans you'll get different rates and speed of growth within individuals, so treat the breed guidelines as generalizations.

 

[Ryguy3684]

If eating, drinking, and active I wouldn't worry too much. Like @rosemarythyme said, they vary breed to breed and bird to bird. Keep an eye that she's gaining weight, no matter if it's fast or slow. As long as the number is going up, I wouldn't worry too much.

 

[Meech]

If eating, drinking, and active I wouldn't worry too much. Like @rosemarythyme said, they vary breed to breed and bird to bird. Keep an eye that she's gaining weight, no matter if it's fast or slow. As long as the number is going up, I wouldn't worry too much.

Thanks. That is reassuring!

 

[talkinboutchickens]

Hi all,

Any help or suggestions on the below are helpful and appreciated, just want to ensure I am doing right by these little chickies.

I have 5 chicks that are 6 weeks old. 1 seems to be growing very slowly. She is getting her feathers in slowly but not like the others and is much smaller. She is very active and eats a lot. Tested for cocci which was negative.

When I searched average weights for 6 week chicks it seems to be much higher so they all seem to be under weight. So now I am wondering if they are all below should I be concerned?


Weights ranges from 172g - 238g
In 2 days they gained 16-23g so they are gaining weight (using a kitchen scale)

Food is Modesto starter and grower which is left out all day/night (they have a sleeping area but still able to access the other area where food is if needed)
they shared/ate 1/2 hard boiled egg 2x this week
Water and bedding is cleaned each day

Some things I have noticed..

• I have heard them sneeze here and there but it hasn’t been crazy
• Pretty active but the past 2 days they seemed like they have all been less active. It’s been cooler/cloudy than normal but still warm in the room. When I let them out they will run around the entire time.
• We normally go outside for a bit but haven’t the past 3 days because of the weather

Picture shows the smallest and biggest of the group the 2 brown ones

Males grow in feathers slightly slower than females, but wow that is a drastic difference between them.