Is this a normal size for easter egger 5 1/2 months

[Hens24]

I've had this chicken for almost 6 months, and it's still as tiny as ever. I'm just getting worried that they're not getting good nutrition, compared to our other hens who were huge at this age, but different breed. They laid at 6-7 months, I'm just wondering if she's a good size so far, but it doesn't look like she can lay with how small she is. Will she be able to lay soon hopefully? Or is her size concerning

 

[CombNWattles]

Hello Hens24,

Can you weigh her somehow?

What is their diet like?

How is her behavior? Is she lethargic?

And lastly, how would you rate her on this chart:

Sorry for the barrage of questions, but hopefully they can help us figure this out.

 

[DemeterAD9]

She looks pretty scruffy, does she get picked on or over bred by a roo? What are they fed and could you get a comparison photo of her with another hen? Give her a feel while you are at it and see if she is thin compared to the others.

As for size, EEs are a mutt so size can vary but the two EE pullets I have are definitely on the small side. I often get one EE mixed up with my bantam EE of the same color from a distance. I have brahmas, jersey giants, several mix breeds and a silver laced wyandotte, of all my breeds beside the bantam the EEs are the smallest. Egg laying shouldn’t be a problem for a small hen if she is healthy and appropriately sized for her breed.

 

[Logar]

I have seen a laying full sized EE hen who was probably under 3 pound. That exact same farm had one that couldn’t have been less than 7 pounds. They vary so much in size that you can’t really just go off how big they are to see if they are healthy in size. The chart @CombNWattles posted is a good way to check. She looks healthy to me but feathers can hide a lot.

 

[SourRoses]

Her tail is concerning to me. She should already be in her final feathers until next summer.
So, who is yanking her feathers out?
Stress can be a big deterrent keeping hens from laying. The whole egg cycle depends on a complex cascade of hormones, when stress hormones are added to the cocktail it just messes everything up.

 

[FunnyBunny89]

View attachment 3938306
I've had this chicken for almost 6 months, and it's still as tiny as ever. I'm just getting worried that they're not getting good nutrition, compared to our other hens who were huge at this age, but different breed. They laid at 6-7 months, I'm just wondering if she's a good size so far, but it doesn't look like she can lay with how small she is. Will she be able to lay soon hopefully? Or is her size concerning

I have 6 EEs and compared to mine, I think her body size matches her comb development. I would be worried about those tail feathers being gone like that. My EEs are the same age as yours and finished their molt long ago... idk if climate makes a difference for that or if it's an age thing, but I would try to sort out that first and make sure she is getting enough protein.

 

[Hens24]

She looks pretty scruffy, does she get picked on or over bred by a roo? What are they fed and could you get a comparison photo of her with another hen? Give her a feel while you are at it and see if she is thin compared to the others.

As for size, EEs are a mutt so size can vary but the two EE pullets I have are definitely on the small side. I often get one EE mixed up with my bantam EE of the same color from a distance. I have brahmas, jersey giants, several mix breeds and a silver laced wyandotte, of all my breeds beside the bantam the EEs are the smallest. Egg laying shouldn’t be a problem for a small hen if she is healthy and appropriately sized for her breed.

We don't have roosters, we have older hens with her, and she tends to get picked by the older ones around her. All my other EE chickens are just like her actually. She feels heavy and she crows but no egg laying. We feed them oyster shells, cracked corn, layer feed and oats. Alongside that, her scruffy look I'd have to guess is bc all my EE tend to get into fights a lot, which I tried stopping but don't want to separate them.

 

[Hens24]

Her tail is concerning to me. She should already be in her final feathers until next summer.
So, who is yanking her feathers out?
Stress can be a big deterrent keeping hens from laying. The whole egg cycle depends on a complex cascade of hormones, when stress hormones are added to the cocktail it just messes everything up.

I just checked her, found out it was one of our much older hens who would get into fights with her over food, she is almost 6 months, our older hen is around 1 1/2 years.

 

[Hens24]

We don't have roosters, we have older hens with her, and she tends to get picked by the older ones around her. All my other EE chickens are just like her actually. She feels heavy and she crows but no egg laying. We feed them oyster shells, cracked corn, layer feed and oats. Alongside that, her scruffy look I'd have to guess is bc all my EE tend to get into fights a lot, which I tried stopping but don't want to separate them.

I'm also willing to guess that just like with our other hens, at this age due to the extreme heat we live in they tended to look pretty scruffy, they all act normal and healthy, running chasing each other, jumping onto literally everything, none seem lethargic and they enjoy eating and drinking and all.

 

[Hens24]

Hello Hens24,

Can you weigh her somehow?

What is their diet like?

How is her behavior? Is she lethargic?

And lastly, how would you rate her on this chart:
View attachment 3938314

Sorry for the barrage of questions, but hopefully they can help us figure this out.

Her chest actually feels pretty developed if not as much as an older hen, she's not lethargic at all, she runs and screeches like a normal hen. We feed her oyster shells, cracked corn, layer feed and oats.