My little Nando just will not grow! Update: He's found a forever home!

[Pharm Girl]

Oh my goodness, I'm overwhelmed by all the responses! I love the idea of a book. My sister is the writer in the family and it looks like I may have an illustrator. Thanks for the offer Earnhardtlvr! I guess we'll have to see how the story ends. I don't hold out too much hope as something is clearly wrong with her. My sister is taking these two little EE cuties off my hands when they outgrow Nan. She said she always wanted green egg layers.
I haven't seen Nan this happy since her sisters left for the grow out coop, and it is so strange to see her be the BIG girl! They have been dog piling up for deep snoozes and I swear I can see Nan smile and sigh at the same time. Peaceful.
Thanks for the encouragement and ideas. She has been gobbling up hard boiled eggs and yogurt. I started her and these new babies on medicated chick feed, which she's never had. She's had organic from the beginning. Might not do anything, but it's only one bag. I'll try the rosemary and any thing else I can think of.
She is getting new pin feathers, though they grow out at a very very slow rate compared to the others which seem to feather out over night.
Thanks again for the well-wishes. She is a tough nugget, that little Nan.

 

[lethldragon]

I hope she does well, i have a Brahma roo ( atleast that's what we think it is but there's no comb yet) that is growing much slower than the others, at 6 weeks he is half the size of the others and is just barely starting to feather out. Is there a good way of telling the sex for sure or do I just have to wait till he/ she is bigger? Again, best of luck with nan, hope she starts ro catch up!

 

[AccentOnHakes]

Whoot! New pins!

 

[off-grid hen]

Quote:
x2!

 

[lizage]

Just got caught up on this thread...simply heartwarming!!

 

[mauigirl]

I was thinking 3 things with your itty bitty.
1 - maybe she has coccidia - failure to thrive per the vet - the intestines has millions of tiny perforations from the micro worm and nutrients are not getting through
2- runt or micro - have had a few micro serama (very rare) and they dont live very long- i just keep getting new chicks to keep them company for their short lives to be enriched - vet says being midgit ized (new word) bigger head, bigger feet, just tiny body is still showing up in a lot of newer breeds - he also said they cant reproduce (if they live that long) so it;s not passed on (6-8 months max lives) i always keep them in brooder in evening with a light, they still cant regulate heat, with as stuffed animal and a sound machine set to heart beat
3 - maybe bantam egg got mixed in the nest or incubator
sending LUCK, ps get a digital scale and start weighing her daily she may actually be growing very slowly

 

[mauigirl]

Quote:
My last micro was smaller than a pack of cigarettes, we tried to get picture next to soda can but it was just too big. at full adult size lil sister was 28 grams (it took her forever to walk across the yard to be with other seramas - lil inch steps doesnt get you very far very quick)

 

[Pharm Girl]

Quote:
Here's all I know, I choose option 2!

1. I hatched her under my broody hen and removed her from the nest hours after she was born because the mother was killing them as they hatched. She was moved from a relatively clean nest to a very clean brooder and there she has been ever since (although she now resides in a clean fish tank) Where would she get coccidia? Her sisters are fine. Although tiny, she eats and drinks and is up and around normally.
2. She is definitely micro, but her head and feet are totally in proportion to the rest of her body. I was thinking maybe the chicken version of osteochondritis dessicans as she did have a broken toe. I'm going with the new chicks idea to keep her company and not really expecting her to live a long life, just enjoying her while we have her. She always has a heat lamp as she has no feathers to keep warm.
3. I got her fertilized egg from another BYC member (chickened). He sells fertilized eggs as a business and knows which chickens laid which eggs. I've discussed Nan with him and he would have told me if she came from a bantam. I don't believe he has bantams anyway.
She IS growing and is half again as big as the very first picture I posted on here. Her rate of growth is very very slow, but it is happening.

Thanks for all your great thoughts. I do have her on medicated chick feed for the first time, so maybe that will help her gut if there is an issue there. I appreciate your help in trying to figure this chicka out! Do you have any pics of your tiny serama?

 

[bird_brain_scientist]

I wouldn't rule out coccidiosis so quickly. It seems like it might be worth trying an anti-coccidial in her water for at least a few days and seeing if anything changes. I don't believe medicated feed will do anything to treat the disease, it is only a preventative.

 

[Anianna]

Quote:
Nan should be nearly two months old now and her development was stunted very early on. A chick can't survive a month-long or longer coccidiosis infection. The critters multiply very quickly and generally kill a chick within about four days. If she did have it (and perhaps it stunted her growth), she survived it already and should now be immune. Medicating now would be unnecessary. If she seems pretty healthy other than failing to grow (she has no symptoms of apparent illness) it's most likely that she is just a micro.