Lame Broiler, More Sex Link Info and Terra Cotta is Out

I finally took the time last night to dig for info on a lame Rock Cornish cross. I had isolated this one some time back, for observation, thinking that it was sick. After a few days, I realized that it was apparently very healthy, but was not able to hold itself up on it's legs. So it is now back in the pen with the others. The book that I consulted is "The Chicken Health Handbook" by Gail Damerow. I have concluded that the weak legs are due to a vitamin difficiency. I have been feeding them Purina Chick Starter and Grower from the beginning, which I had just assumed would have all of the vitamins and minerals that they need. From here on out, I will add a vitamin supplement to their water.

All of the other birds appear to be quite healthy...large with enormous legs and feet. I have come to believe that maybe I have been feeding them too much, however. Since they act like a bunch of starving pirannahs, I guess I felt like they were starving! I hope the additional vitamins will take care of the problem along with cutting back on the feed to slow their growth.
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While perusing through another Damerow book, "Storey's Guide to Raising Chickens", I came across some info on Sex Links. When I went back to Rural King a couple of days later to pick up some more broilers, I also chose two more layers. I originally had only the Ameraucaunas and Red Leghorns, but since these were straight run and a gamble, I decided to bring home the Sex Links so that I at least would have two pullets for sure. Well, I had previously been told that the solid blacks were the pullets, so I let the young employee grab two black ones and put them in the box for me. When I got home, I picked them up and they both had white bellies! So I wasn't so sure I had pullets, afterall.

Last night, I found this explanation by Damerow: "Since a pullet does not acquire her dam's sex chromosome, she cannot acquire any genetic information it contains. A cockerel...always acquires genetic information contained on its dam's chromosome. All characteristics that are controlled by genes on a hen's sex chromosome are called sex-linked. ...when a hen with a certain sex-linked trait is mated to a cock without it, the trait is acquired by all the resulting cockerels, but not the pullets. Since all the pullets are like thier sire and all the cockerels are like their dam, ...allows the sex-linked sorting of chicks according to things as their color...numerous variations are possible. ...If you cross a barred Rock hen with a Rhode Island Red cock, each cockerel will have a white spot on its head."

I am somewhat more reassured now that my two sex-linked chicks are pullets. They definitely did not have white spots on thier heads. I do remember seeing others with the white spots in the bin at the store. I also remember this white spots on the heads of the pure barred Rocks that we bought four years ago.
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Lastly, I wanted to comment on the use of Terra Cotta for a feed tray...don't. I had rigged up a feeder for the goslings, trying to save money. The hanging feeders are a little expensive at $18 and up. I bought a terra cotta saucer and put a large plastic funnel in the middle to keep the goslings out of the feed. Well, the terra cotta is pourous and absorbs moisture from the ground. I went to clean it out today and found mold growing under the funnel due to the ground moisture. Mold is not healthy, so I would definite not recommend the use of terra cotta!