Week old Salmon Faverolle not growing

I have a 5 day old Salmon Faverolle male who appears to have a prolapsed vent. I am doing everything I can to get him through (hemorrhoid ointment, witch hazel, anti-bacterial ointment, Blu-Kote and separation from other chicks that pick at him).

He is eating, drinking and pooping and seems to have a fair level of energy but he peeps and peeps non-stop. I am brand new to chickens, he is my first Faverolle and my first boy and my first health issue. The other thing is that he is about two third the size of my other 5 day olds that arrived with him.

Is the vocalization associated with pain or discomfort? Is the smaller size significant? Or is he just a noisy little rooster? Does

anyone have any insight that they can share?





Edited by LakeGooseBerry - 6/18/16 at 10:39am

You very likely have a "failure to thrive" chick. I had one last summer, a tiny Cream Legbar pullet. So I'm familiar with this. They usually have genetic flaws that make them sickly.

She had problems similar to your chick - didn't grow, had a very swollen vent due to swings in constipation and diarrhea, and she chirped non-stop, ramping up the chirping to a heart-wrenching rapid level when she pooped.

So, yes, the constant chirping is a sign of pain and discomfort. I had the advantage of cannabis being legal in my state of Colorado and I make a salve out of it with coconut oil. I smoothed it on her vent and it quickly reduced the swelling and inflammation, but she continued to have other problems until it was obvious she was getting worse, not better, and I decided to end her suffering.

Three years ago, I had a little male SLWyandotte who didn't grow and was slipping away, not eating. He was a fraction of the size of the other chicks. I was able to turn him around by feeding crumbled tofu with Poultry Nutri-drench sprinkled over it. I kept him with the others, and fed this to all of them in addition to their chick feed.

The tiny chick was stimulated to compete with the others when he saw how enthusiastic they were over the tofu, and he started perking up and growing. He pulled through and made it and started growing. He was always small, but he did make it.

Thanks for getting back me.
My little guy is actually doing better. He is gaining about 4 grams a day, has stopped chirping non-stop and has good energy (always guarding the food dish). His vent is not as swollen and isn’t inflamed at all…thank goodness.

He is about half the weight of the other chicks his age though, so I expect he’ll be just a little bity rooster if he gets that far.

As I said, I’m new to this crazy chicken thing (which I am thoroughly enjoying) so I have a couple (million) questions: (1) how do I introduce him to my other, older, hens when the time comes? Will they pick on him? And (2) will he crow like a normal rooster?
Thanks again. I love this forum.

Thanks also for the links you sent about health and chickens!!

Oh I see you already gave the answer to introducing him into the flock. great link! Thanks