Growing Fast

One week later, the growing meat chicks have already changed.
They eat with impressive focus, drink constantly, and move through the brooder with more confidence every day. Because Cornish Cross chicks grow so quickly, I expected them to look different fast. Even so, watching it happen still feels a little ridiculous.
The brooder that looked roomy at first now looks much more temporary.

One Small Fighter

However, one of the fifteen dollar chicks has not kept up with the others.
This chick looks smaller, has fewer feathers, and seems weaker than the rest. Still, it keeps pushing forward. It gets to the feeder, eats as much as it can, and keeps trying even when the bigger chicks crowd around like tiny feathered bulldozers.
For now, we are watching closely, making sure it can reach food and water, and giving it every fair chance to keep fighting.

What Comes Next

Meanwhile, the rest of the meat chicks keeps growing exactly the way meat chicks do: fast, hungry, and messy.
Soon, we will start planning their move from the brooder to the 10×10 covered run. First, they need enough feathering and the right weather to be outside without extra heat. After that, they can stretch their legs, get more fresh air, and finish growing with more room.

The dollar chicks may have started as an unplanned Tractor Supply bargain, but one week in, they have fully become a Tart Farm project.