The chicks are growing rapidly. They are in that remarkable stage of growth in which it is possible to see daily changes. It is our great fortune to have had only one chick fatality, to date. In the past, we have had very few fatalities after the chicks have reached this point. So, we are relaxing a bit about monitoring them.
The Corning Cross chicks are about twice the size they were when they arrived, but their feathering is not too impressive. Some are already developing losing their down in favor of the bare spots on their chests and sparse feather cover, which is typical for the breed. The Cornish Cross birds are so preoccupied with growing meat that they look like hastily assembled chickens.
In notable contrast, the surprise chick has nicely-developed wing and tail feathers, but has not achieved anything approaching the growth rate of its roommates. When the chicks arrived, the surprise chick was a little smaller than the others, but is now only about half their size.
The chicks ate one feeder-full on their first day here. Their food consumption has steadily progressed to the current rate of 4 feeders-full per day. A second feeder was added to the brooder table when they could no longer share a single feeder without tremendous commotion. With two feeders, the jostling is significant, but reasonable.
The surprise chick, having no chance of pushing through the mass of larger birds, sometimes jumps on their backs and walks over them to escape the feeding frenzy. After a few minutes, the Cornish Cross chicks are tired from their exertions and lie down to rest. At that point, the surprise chick walks back to the feeder and waterer and dines at a comfortable pace.
Too bad you can’t raise it for intelligence, because the surprise chick seems to be a good strategizer.