Chick slow to fledgeworry or not?

One of my Welsummer chicks is much slower to develope her wing feathers. She is smaller that the other Welsummer (who is really huge) but about the same size as the other chicks of various breeds and does eat and move around all right, although this evening she is less active and more sleepy. I am starting to worry because today I noticed that her wing feathers are much less advanced than any of the others--they are less than half as long, hardly more than they were at two days. Has any one else had this happen and did it end well? Both the Welsummers tend to sink down on their hocks when they aren't moving--but the big one is very healthy and active, the little one is just seems to be losing ground compared to the others. I am worried.

Hi Cat. are the other girls picking on her? Is it possible that your big welsummer is a boy and that is why he is so much bigger?

My mom had a runt type last spring who eventually caught up. Does your gal have pasty butt? Did you check that? Maybe you could cook up so egg yolk for al ittle extra protein. Is she getting food or is she being bullied?

Hi Backyard. She isn't being bullied at all. I did wonder about the bigger one being a boy, but they generally say that the females feather out faster than the males--so that is sort of contradictory. She doesn't have pasty butt now, but she did have it mildly the first few days--I kept her clean and it has cleared up. She just sort of sinks down whenever she stops walking--much more so than the others, although the other Welsummer does it too to a lesser degree, and her wing feathers are just not growing compared to all the others. I am going to try the cooked egg yolk. Thanks for the suggestion!

I have a silkie female that is the same age as the other silkies and the same size, yet as a chick she was nearly twice as small and like yours, her feathers came in late. When she was a chick I thought she wasn't going to make it because she seemed so much weaker than the others, but here she is now, just fine.

Okay, with Patchouli78's encouragement and Backyards' egg yolks, I've decided that the little Welsummer is going to be okay. But there is still a big difference in the primary and tail feather development. I did learn that there are sex-link crosses that they make based on feather development--the males will feather out more slowly than the females. But that shouldn't apply to Welsummers--and it is my big one that is fledging well and the little one isn't. The two RIR are showing similar differences, but nowhere as striking. Here is a picture--you can see that one Welsummer has a tail and long primaries, the other no tail and primaries barely longer than when they hatched. Odd.

Here they are a week ago with the other chicks--you can still see a difference, but it has grown more apparent over time.

Or maybe it is this picture you can see it in? Yes that is better, they are the ones with striped heads. Probably only a mother would notice and worry--but in person the difference is really striking. I only hope I don't have a roo.......The shorter winged one is in front. Her wings are so much shorter than all the others now a week later. But she seems healthy otherwise.

This message was edited Mar 2, 2008 5:26 PM

This message was edited Mar 2, 2008 5:29 PM

Well, I'm glad to hear she is doing okay. I'm sure she's just a little slower to develop. It takes all kinds, right?

I was just thinking that very same thing. If you notice, people develop at different times, so why not chicks?

I'm good with differences...they can develop anyway they want:-) Only worry is I can now see a distinct comb developing on the big Welsummer--none of the other chicks is so advanced. Please don't let it be a rooster! I would love to breed Welsummers but I CAN"T have roosters here. Anyone wanting a Welsummer rooster?

Oh, I am so sorry, Cat, here's hoping it is just a case of early development and not a rooster. :

I'll take him!

TamaraFaye--If "she" is rooster--he's yours! I'll pay whatever the shipping is:-). I know they ship grown chickens because the post office kept telling me "we have chickens back here, but no chicks" when they misplaced my chicks from Meyers.

Well my Welsummer's comb is much bigger today and reddening (a cockerel trait)--and it is only 2 weeks old. S/he is huge compared to the other chicks (a cockerel trait) and much "braver" (a cockerel trait), but her feathers are coming in very fast (a pullet trait). The comb makes me think definitely roo--Oh Well! Here is a nice site on chick sexing:

http://successwithpoultry.blogspot.com/2007/04/how-to-tell-sex-of-chicks.html

love that, link went inot my favs...

i will glady take him. Dh is building a big pen for what we thought were the BA hens. no it will just be for eating roos. we will build another for our special bantam cochins and whatever other eggs i hatch out, and he will fit nicely in there. when i order from a hatchery i will get him some hens.

the Welsummer is a breed i wanted to get anyhow. the hens are partridge colored like my RC Brown Leghorns. BTW, they don't have a roo, so maybe that will be his hens?

seriously, i will take him as soon as you are sure you don't want him...

which hatchery did he come from?

Hi TamaraFaye--If he is a he, and I am pretty sure he is, I'll send him as soon as he fledges and can keep himself warm. He is from Meyers, one of my special small orders--they sent 7 instead of six, so I am really not down one-- although I did want two Welsummers rather than two RIR.....:-). I'll look into the best way to send him overnight. He is a very robust chick, and quite friendly--not quite as outgoing as the Orpington and Delaware but much more so than the RIR and Marans And he has lovely markings; he looks just like a partridge now.

Has anyone else shipped a single cockerel? What is the best way? The best age? Of course, I will ship him overnight.

Just wait till its warm. don't know about your climate here, but we still have very col dweather for the next week or two.

i have rec'd 8 week old keets in the mail before... they had green gel in with them for food/water... they were stressed but OK. i have seen special boxes for shipping them in, maybe at Strombergs or Meyers website???

My precious leghorns will love him! Time to find a new home for Buck Buckaw LOL...

more sexing info in this htread...

Well--just to catch up:0). Both Welsummers grew and thrived. The smaller one is a pullet and lays very nice dark brown eggs. However she just went broody with her sister Marans and they sit in the nest box all day and tuck ping pong balls under their wings. Welsummers are not supposed to be a broody breed. Hah!

The larger one grew two sickle feathers and was proclaimed a roo by myself, tf (who only saw pictures) and an avian vet. So it went to live with tf to found a dynasty. Shortly before it left the two sickle feathers fell out and the last I heard it had begun to crouch down in a very pullety manner. So were both pullets?

Only tf or her surrogates will know for sure.

The link above does have useful sexing info!

oh, yes, catscan, you successfully re-homed two beautiful PULLETS to the Lone Star State. i call them my "California Girls"... Jaco the Giant roo just calls them over...

i bet out of the 25 welsummers i got straight run, there wil be a roo for Pecketta [i sitll cal lher pecky though]

still don't have that roo for Cheddar yet, but she seems quite content. neither girl wants out of the north pen. one nice roo inside, several roos looking for a free hen outside... smart girls!

i thinkt he Chicekn Fariy owes us both Penedesencas. only i wonder how easy they are to sex???