2 week old chick still looks like it's barely a week old.... (pics)

[redfeather]

So, I let one of my hens incubate 9 eggs and as it was, all nine hatched (who with lots of help). So far so good, except for one chick. After a few days it began sitting around doing nothing but panting heavily with the occasional sneeze. Then the panting went away for a while and the chick started gaining some weight and a few wing feathers, but now it has started panting again. All the other chicks except this one (and a buddy) have, since yesterday, been moved out to the coop (but seperated from adult birds). This struggling chick seems happy, eats, preens, drinks, poops, ect, but it is less than half the size of the other chicks (I weighed them).

Here are pictures, you can see the "normal" healthy chick with all the feathers and the elongated head, and the struggling chick, with a few odd feathers on it's wings and a tiny body. I took most of the pics with them together so you could see the size differences.

here's a healthy chick

stunted one in front

Size comparison… Normal chick at back, “sicky” at front.

Even better size comparison…

Healthy chick again

 

[Hollywood Chickens]

Some chickens grow slower than others, although it sounds like a heart problem.

What are you feeding them?

 

[redfeather]

I'm feeding them a chick starter from Purina -- http://poultry.purinamills.com/OURPRODUCTS/Products/StartGrow/default.aspx

Some chicks may grow more slowly naturally... but... this is the ONLY one like this. It weighs barely 60 grams and all the others are about 120 and up.

 

[Kevin565]

Have you tried giving it electrolytes?

 

[redfeather]

No, I haven't... mostly because at the time it was suggested to me, the chick showed great improvement and weight gain and has since relapsed. I guess I can try and pick up some Pedialyte from the store tomorrow.