Chick isn't growing

[SunriseChickers]

Could she be a bantam?

I suppose it's possible, but she isn't supposed to be.

 

[NatJ]

her feathering is behind. The others started getting tail feathers two days ago, and she has none. She also has fewer wing feathers.

Some chicks do grow their feathers at different speeds than others. So that by itself would not be concerning.

she wasn't quite as energetic and curious as as she had been previously.

That is reason for concern, if it goes on for long.

Any one know why she's so small and losing energy?

You could check her crop, to get an idea of how well she is eating.
Check a few others for comparison.

The crop is at the base of the neck on the front, often a little bit to one side. It can range from empty (can't find it) to very big and hard (sometimes mistaken for a tumor).

If the chick always has an empty crop, then she is not eating, which would certainly explain why she's not doing well.

If she always has something in her crop, there are ways to check whether she is eating & digesting or whether she has the same stuff sitting in her crop all the time.

If she seems to be eating and digesting properly, then the real problem must be something else.

 

[SueT]

If all your chicks are different breeds, they will develop differently.

 

[SunriseChickers]

Some chicks do grow their feathers at different speeds than others. So that by itself would not be concerning.


That is reason for concern, if it goes on for long.



You could check her crop, to get an idea of how well she is eating.
Check a few others for comparison.

The crop is at the base of the neck on the front, often a little bit to one side. It can range from empty (can't find it) to very big and hard (sometimes mistaken for a tumor).

If the chick always has an empty crop, then she is not eating, which would certainly explain why she's not doing well.

If she always has something in her crop, there are ways to check whether she is eating & digesting or whether she has the same stuff sitting in her crop all the time.

If she seems to be eating and digesting properly, then the real problem must be something else.

Her crop seems pretty small and squishy. We haven't seen her eat, but she scratches and pecks, and she drinks.
We hadn't seen her poop, so we put her in warm water for a while and she did give us a healthy looking poop.
She's also holding her wings out from her body a bit, and at all times, which she wasn't when we got her.

 

[SunriseChickers]

If all your chicks are different breeds, they will develop differently.

I've had GLW chicks in with different breeds before, and I haven't seen them develop like this before.
Also, her feet are almost as big as everyone else's! Feet have grown, body hasn't. She's not getting tail feathers, but she might be getting neck feathers, not sure.

 

[RedHillChicken]

We got some new chicks from Rural King last week. They are all approximately the same age, give or take a day I'd reckon.
We noticed about yesterday that the Golden Laced Wyandotte just isn't growing like the others. She's noticeably smaller, and her feathering is behind. The others started getting tail feathers two days ago, and she has none. She also has fewer wing feathers.
She isn't being picked on by the other five yet, and scratches around as she pleases.
She did have pasty butt this morning, so we took care of that, but we noticed she wasn't quite as energetic and curious as as she had been previously.
She is the one on the bottom in the picture. She is with a Buff O and a Marans here.
Any one know why she's so small and losing energy?
Her poop is normal, they have medicated feed. They are unvaccinated.

We got cinnamon queens, barred rocks, golden comets, buff orpington, and black laced wyandottes, and by far the smallest were, and are, the BLGW. It's either the breed or the genetics. We lost 2 of the 3 BLGW we ordered. Failure to thrive. Genetics?

 

[NatJ]

Her crop seems pretty small and squishy. We haven't seen her eat, but she scratches and pecks, and she drinks.

If her crop is smaller and squishier than the others, she may not be eating enough.

You could try getting a bit of chick starter wet, then give it to them all on a jar lid or similar small dish. Chicks usually think that is a real treat, so it may encourage her to eat a bit more, and it won't hurt the others either.

(Note, wet feed is scary at first. Then when they first try it, they have to shake their heads and wipe their beaks because it feels weird. By the second or third experience, they are usually enthusiastic about gobbling it up.)

We hadn't seen her poop, so we put her in warm water for a while and she did give us a healthy looking poop.

Pooping is good

She's also holding her wings out from her body a bit, and at all times, which she wasn't when we got her.

That doesn't sound normal for a healthy chick, unless she is too hot. But if she is too hot, the others probably are too. So if the others are not doing that, I think it's another sign of something being wrong.

 

[SunriseChickers]

If her crop is smaller and squishier than the others, she may not be eating enough.

You could try getting a bit of chick starter wet, then give it to them all on a jar lid or similar small dish. Chicks usually think that is a real treat, so it may encourage her to eat a bit more, and it won't hurt the others either.

I will try this. We have also offered her flax seed for protein, but she wasn't interested.

That doesn't sound normal for a healthy chick, unless she is too hot. But if she is too hot, the others probably are too. So if the others are not doing that, I think it's another sign of something being wrong.

I know I've heard of wings being held off the body being a symptom of some things, but I can't remember what. :/

 

[NatJ]

I know I've heard of wings being held off the body being a symptom of some things, but I can't remember what. :/

It can indicate hot, cold, or sickness, depending on how the chicken is holding the wings. An injured wing will also be held differently, but that's usually just one one side instead of both.

A hot chicken holds the wings away from the body in a way that lets air get under and around the wings. They may also pant (open mouth, heavy breathing)

A cold chicken fluffs up their feathers and holds their wings a little bit away from the body, trying to trap more warm air close to themself.

A sick chicken often looks like a cold chicken, with fluffed up feathers and wings held just a little away from the body.

Pulling the head in close to the body, closing the eyes, and letting the tail droop are other signs of a chicken that generally feels miserable, whether that be from cold or sickness.

 

[SunriseChickers]

It can indicate hot, cold, or sickness, depending on how the chicken is holding the wings. An injured wing will also be held differently, but that's usually just one one side instead of both.

A hot chicken holds the wings away from the body in a way that lets air get under and around the wings. They may also pant (open mouth, heavy breathing)

A cold chicken fluffs up their feathers and holds their wings a little bit away from the body, trying to trap more warm air close to themself.

A sick chicken often looks like a cold chicken, with fluffed up feathers and wings held just a little away from the body.

Pulling the head in close to the body, closing the eyes, and letting the tail droop are other signs of a chicken that generally feels miserable, whether that be from cold or sickness.

Good news, she was pecking in the feed tin!
She doesn't really tuck her head when she isn't sleeping, and there's not much of a tail to be able to tell it it's drooping.