Fast Growing Chicks

It has only been three weeks since the chicks found their way out of their eggs.  Every time I hatch a batch of chicks I am always amazed by how fast they grow.  At this age their feathers are really starting to come in.  They have most of their wing feathers and the tail feathers get a little bigger every day.  They are just starting to have feathers coming in on their shoulders, but still have plenty of chick fluff covering their heads.

They are running around like crazy at this age and have begun to start perching on top of their food and water.  It won't be long until they are big enough to go outside where they can really stretch their legs and wings.

I am guessing from their behavior and sizes that I have three possible roosters (one black and two yellow) and two possible hens. I won't really know if I am right until they start crowing or laying eggs.  The roosters are destined for my freezer when they get big enough and the hens will be added to my laying flock when they are big enough to fend for themselves with the full sized chickens.  I may thin the current flock of hens to keep the numbers in a manageable range, but I am getting such a demand for eggs from my co workers that I might be able to handle a slightly larger flock if they can justify the cost of feed.