Every living thing requires proper nourishment, conducive environmental factors, and proper physical care are key to proper growth and development.
Factors that contribute to the proper development of a Chick include good and enough nutrition, adequate supply of clean water, protection from predators and mites, conducive temperatures, and a comfortable brooder.
The lack of these conditions may hinder the proper growth and development of a chick.
What Causes a Chick Not To Grow? (5 Possible Reasons)
Several reasons can cause a chick not to grow.
Here are some of the reasons why your chick is not growing as expected.
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It Hatched a Little Late
While chicks of most birds hatch after 21 days, there are some chicks that hatch a day or two late.
Since chicks develop very fast, chicks that have hatched late will struggle to catch up with the rest of the brood.
Due to lateness, a chick may not compete on level ground.
A late hatched chick will be stressed by this.
The stress of the chick suppresses growth, thus why a chick may not grow.
To help solve the problem, you can feed your latecomer chick on a separate brooder and try to integrate it with other chicks.
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The Environment is Too Cold for your Chick
If the environment you are bringing up your chick is cold, it will inhibit its growth.
Cold limits the quantity of feed and water the chick eats.
Failure to feed well will lead to your chick becoming malnourished hence the reason it is not growing well.
Ensure you are feeding your chick in a warm area.
Also, ensure you are meeting all the dietary requirements of the chick.
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Your Chick is Infested with Mites
If your bird is infested with mites during the critical stage of its development, it might affect its growth rate.
An example of a mite that causes havoc to the growth of a chick is the northern fowl mite.
They suck the chick’s blood, leading to low blood count, general body weakness, stunted growth, and sometimes death.
You can use commercial products to get rid of mites in a chick.
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The Chick is Bantam
Your chick has a Bantam background, so it’s not growing as expected.
A Bantam chick will only grow up to 1/4 or 1/5 the size of a regular chick.
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Poultry Dwarfism
Dwarfism affects nearly all living things, including poultry.
If you have provided your chick with all the favorable conditions and still do not show signs of growing as expected, it is probably a dwarf.
There is nothing you can do to make your chick grow.
Just embrace its uniqueness.
What Helps a Chick Grow?
Before your chick arrives, you need to prepare adequately for its arrival.
You need to ensure your chick survives, grows and develops, and matures to adulthood.
- A Brooder – This is where you first place your chick. Ensure it is safe, clean, warm, spacious, and well ventilated.
- A Heat Lamp – Your chick will require a good amount of warmth to survive and grow well. You should adjust the heat level downwards as the chick continues to grow. A cold environment can interfere with the proper growth of your chick.
- Light – provide your new chick with light 18 to 12 hours a day. As your chick continues to grow, you can reduce the light.
- Feeders and Water feeders – For your new chick, provide a wide and low-lying feeder and waterer.
Teach your chick how to feed and drink water.
Also, adjust the feeds of your chick accordingly as it grows.
How Long Does It Take For Baby Chicken To Grow?
The key to proper growth and development of your chick is proper feeding, clean water supply, optimum temperatures, and protection from predators.
Another factor that influences the growth rate of your chick is genetics.
A chick will take approximately 900 to 100 days to mature.
It takes around one to five weeks for the chick to become a teenage bird.
Your chick’s feed should contain 18% proteins and other essential minerals to enable it to transform successfully into a teenager.
At weeks 5 to 15, the bird is in a teenage stage and will start to show physical differences between males and females.
Keep up with proper nutrition and diet for good development and growth.
From week 16 to 17, the chicken is mature, and the hens are almost ready to lay eggs.
Consider feeding your chicken with layers of feed for a smooth transitioning.
At week 18, your chicken will lay its first egg.
Your chicken will start dropping its feathers in the 18th month of its life.
Your chicken will keep on laying eggs after molting.
Finally, your chicken will reach the retirement stage.
It will no longer lay eggs.
Also, it will require a specialized diet with high protein levels to support it through its advanced age.
Wrapping Up
Your chick requires enabling factors such as enough and proper nutrition, clean water, vaccination, the right temperatures, and protection from mites and predators.
However, conditions such as dwarfism and Bantam are out of your control.
Ensure to provide the right conditions as discussed above for the proper growth of your chick.