Dwarfism?

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cassandracondon

cassandracondon

Hatching
Apr 13, 2015
3
0
7
Fairfield County, CT
Hi guys, my name is Cassandra and I am brand new to Backyard Chickens, and just chickens in general. I have always wanted them since I was a young child so the day before Easter this year, my two best friends and I head out to Benedict's farm supply in Monroe, CT and got two chicks each. Katie got two little fluffy yellow ones (I forget what breed), Alex got two Rhode Island reds, and I got two silver laced wyandottes. They have all been growing happily and steadily, only one of them had "sticky butt" (which was my chick, Eggy Azalea). But here's the problem. We've noticed the chicks growing very fast. Katie's chicks have almost doubled in size. Except for one of my little chicks, little Eggy Azalea. I'd like to say she only weighs two or three ounces while the rest of the chicks all weigh at least half a pound each now. I did some googling on chicken dwarfism but couldn't come up with much. I'm worried Eggy isn't going to make it into adulthood. What should I do?
 
Welcome to BYC! Was your chick smaller when you bought it as well? It's very possible it is a bantam chicken, which is a smaller than standard type of chicken. They come in many different colors and many of the babies are super fuzzy because their down seems longer because they are so small. Bantam chickens stay small and lay very small eggs as well.
 
Last edited:
WalnutHill said:
Welcome to BYC!  Was your chick smaller when you bought it as well?  It's very possible it is a bantam chicken, which is a smaller than standard type of chicken.  They come in many different colors and many of the babies are super fuzzy because their down seems longer because they are so small.  Bantam chickens stay small and lay very small eggs as well.
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They all seemed about the same size when we bought them, it's just the other chicks have grown while Eggy continues to stay petite. I have another SLW chick which seems to be growing at normal rate, and it's fluff/feathers feels about the same as Eggy's. I'm just nervous this could be a potentially fatal chromosomal disorder or something.
 
It does happen that chicks are sometimes hatched with developmental issues that cause delayed or subnormal growth. Commercially they are typically culled. In recreational flocks, I'd not use one for breeding unless you want to try to create bantams, but they can still be fine and healthy pets. The overall condition of the chick should guide you. Please ensure it is drinking adequate amounts of water to stay soft and hydrated, and you may want to offer food behind a partition to ensure it's not shorted on feed.
 
I think
WalnutHill said:
It does happen that chicks are sometimes hatched with developmental issues that cause delayed or subnormal growth.  Commercially they are typically culled.  In recreational flocks, I'd not use one for breeding unless you want to try to create bantams, but they can still be fine and healthy pets.  The overall condition of the chick should guide you.  Please ensure it is drinking adequate amounts of water to stay soft and hydrated, and you may want to offer food  behind a partition to ensure it's not shorted on feed.
Click to expand...

Ohh okay. Yeah I wasn't planning on breeding her, more of just having her as a pet. She's very friendly and cuddly and falls asleep in the palm of my hand. If she is actually a female (since right now she's too young to tell) do you think she would lay eggs alright?
 
As long as she is otherwise healthy, sure! There are sometimes hormonal causes for underdevelopment but they don't usually display this until 16 weeks or later. Early development issues may be completely environmental, and she may go through a huge growth spurt and end up just as big as her "siblings" later on.
 
I have two chicks that have same parents and hatch date. They are now about 8 weeks old they are bantam cochins but significantly different in size.What I noticed was that the wings of the little one are as long as its body now.


My friend used my roo and also had a dwarf-sized chick So I'm guessing he is carrying the trait. I almost lost the chick last week--it was simply unable to survive the move outside so I brought it and a sibling inside to my classroom. Wondering if my roo is a dwarf not a bantam at this point.
 
Any update on this, Cassandra? I have guinea fowl as well as chickens, and clearly there is a dwarf gene among my guinea fowl. In neither your case nor mine does it sound like "failure to thrive." Is Eggy Azalea still alive? If so, how is she faring?
 

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