Something strange is happening in my pens this year that I noticed. In one pen, I have birds that are just about completely matue. In the next pen, I have birds that are further behind with tail growth but otherwise the same. In the third pen, the birds are the same as the first pen.
The pens are 99.9% exact copies. Same brooder room to start, born May 4th. Same cover. Same feed. Same space in feed and water. Same amount of birds. Moved outside the same day. Went inside all three pens extensively. No picking on any of them. No sign of disease. etc. I've covered the bases. They just appear to still be molting there feather from their youth. The shorter tails are on top of a small hill while the other two are on the incline of the hill on both sides. But the same hill is home to another three pens that share a wall with the three I'm talking about and they are all normal. However, the shorter tails are on the side the sun rises on--so that is a very small difference.
Is it possible that one pen of birds, given the above circumstances, can grow slower than an exact copy? I'm thinking I'm really missing something. There must be something microscopic making the difference. I've waited to see if they catch up, and they have a small amount. But I think today I'll perform some Necropsy..
Anyone have an explanation?
EDIT: The next page I visit after this forum is www.gamebirdexpert.com , where I might have found an explanation. The weather has been terribly hot lately, 90s and very sunny. The birds on the hill could be getting enough heat to attempt reproduction, and are actually molting their tails before they are fully grown like they would in the spring. The little bit of extra heat from being on top of the hill combined with the extra heat from being on the same side as the sun rises creates a difference that can equate out to the birds being the only group that molts... Although their birds are from a March hatch, mine are from May. Still not 100% positive this is what is happening.