5 week old chick is the size of a 2 week old chick.

[HotChicken623]

Hi, everyone!

Hope you're all having a wonderful day! I've just got a couple questions on a under developing chick and wondering if anyone else has experienced the same.

I had bought 4, day old chicks and have had them for 5 1/2 weeks now. My original plan was to give them all to my broody hen, but she rejected the gray chick pictured. I didn't want the gray one to be alone, so I took 1 of the salmon faverolles away from the broody and put it in the brooder with the gray. Now the chick in question is the other faverolle pictured with the broody and brown easter egger chick. All chicks are the same age and all of these photos were taken the same day. I wanted to post them for comparison. The 2 that were raised in the brooder are much larger than the 2 that were raised with the hen. Makes sense, they sat and ate in a brooder all day until they were moved to the coop. The chicks with broody run around all day and scratch and pick at whatever she does. I never seperated them from the flock so those 3 are all integrated. The chicks are fed chick starter and are able to get to it without being bothered by hens. The faverolle with the broody is SO tiny still. No tail feathers and is still completely down feathered on her tummy and behind. She only has wing feathers and a couple feathers on her back. Where there should be feathers it just looks like tiny pins coming in, but no growth. She looks a lot bigger in the photo because she's in front, but she really only looks about 2 weeks in person and is still a lot smaller than the brown. Gets around fine, just so far behind the others in development. Has anyone else had this happen to them? The chicks I've had have all grown at the same relative pace.

Another pick of slow growing chick at 5 weeks.

 

[HotChicken623]

Photo of them a couple days old. All the same size.

 

[RosemaryDuck]

View attachment 2589890View attachment 2589891View attachment 2589892View attachment 2589893View attachment 2589894


Hi, everyone!

Hope you're all having a wonderful day! I've just got a couple questions on a under developing chick and wondering if anyone else has experienced the same.

I had bought 4, day old chicks and have had them for 5 1/2 weeks now. My original plan was to give them all to my broody hen, but she rejected the gray chick pictured. I didn't want the gray one to be alone, so I took 1 of the salmon faverolles away from the broody and put it in the brooder with the gray. Now the chick in question is the other faverolle pictured with the broody and brown easter egger chick. All chicks are the same age and all of these photos were taken the same day. I wanted to post them for comparison. The 2 that were raised in the brooder are much larger than the 2 that were raised with the hen. Makes sense, they sat and ate in a brooder all day until they were moved to the coop. The chicks with broody run around all day and scratch and pick at whatever she does. I never seperated them from the flock so those 3 are all integrated. The chicks are fed chick starter and are able to get to it without being bothered by hens. The faverolle with the broody is SO tiny still. No tail feathers and is still completely down feathered on her tummy and behind. She only has wing feathers and a couple feathers on her back. Where there should be feathers it just looks like tiny pins coming in, but no growth. She looks a lot bigger in the photo because she's in front, but she really only looks about 2 weeks in person and is still a lot smaller than the brown. Gets around fine, just so far behind the others in development. Has anyone else had this happen to them? The chicks I've had have all grown at the same relative pace.

View attachment 2589901
Another pick of slow growing chick at 5 weeks.

Wow. Maybe a case of dwarfism? I know it can happen to ducks. Have you been able to feel her to see if she's a good weight? She looks very healthy besides the obvious fact of looking like she just hatched! That is so odd. Let me tag a few others here to see if they have any advice.

@Eggcessive
@sourland

 

[HotChicken623]

Photo of them a couple days old. All the same size.
View attachment 2589900

Wow. Maybe a case of dwarfism? I know it can happen to ducks. Have you been able to feel her to see if she's a good weight? She looks very healthy besides the obvious fact of looking like she just hatched! That is so odd. Let me tag a few others here to see if they have any advice.

@Eggcessive
@sourland

Thank you so much! The more help, the merrier! She seems fine, when I can catch her! Lol. The 2 raised with the broody aren't fond of people yet....unless you have food. Everything about her seems fine, keeps up with momma and the other chick, doesn't get picked on by hens, eats, scratches dirt and dustbathes. Just a tiny gal. Hoping it's not failure to thrive? I've read that with slow growing chicks that may be the case? The other salmon faverolle is 4 times her size and almost fully feathered! Fingers crossed she's fine and just a slow grower!

 

[NatJ]

There is a gene called "slow feathering," because it makes chickens grow their feathers much more slowly than normal. I think your chick probably has it. It's not harmful, just makes them look immature until the feathers finally show up.

 

[Aapomp831]

The chick in question is a completely different breed... are the others brahmas or Cochins? (Sorry, my breed ID skills are for the birds ). I don’t think anything is wrong at all, just a smaller breed.

 

[NatJ]

The chick in question is a completely different breed... are the others brahmas or Cochins?

I think the four chicks and their situations are:
1 gray chick, raised in brooder, large
1 Faverolles chick, raised in brooder, large
1 Easter Egger chick (brown striped), raised by hen, not as large
1 Faverolles chick, raised by hen, small and very slow to grow feathers

The ones with feathered feet are the 2 Faverolles. So the question was why one Faverolles is so much slower to get feathers than the other, and why it is also the smallest of the four chicks.

@HotChicken623 do I have that correct?

And when you describe them as larger or smaller, are you talking about what size they look to be, or how heavy they are? If it's weight, are you comparing them in your hand, or weighing them on a scale? I've had chicks that looked "small" but were heavier than "large" chicks, and the real difference was in how fluffy their feathers were

 

[HotChicken623]

The chick in question is a completely different breed... are the others brahmas or Cochins? (Sorry, my breed ID skills are for the birds ). I don’t think anything is wrong at all, just a smaller breed.

No, @NatJ had it right. The 2 yellow chicks are both faverolles and both the same age.

 

[HotChicken623]

I think the four chicks and their situations are:
1 gray chick, raised in brooder, large
1 Faverolles chick, raised in brooder, large
1 Easter Egger chick (brown striped), raised by hen, not as large
1 Faverolles chick, raised by hen, small and very slow to grow feathers

The ones with feathered feet are the 2 Faverolles. So the question was why one Faverolles is so much slower to get feathers than the other, and why it is also the smallest of the four chicks.

@HotChicken623 do I have that correct?

And when you describe them as larger or smaller, are you talking about what size they look to be, or how heavy they are? If it's weight, are you comparing them in your hand, or weighing them on a scale? I've had chicks that looked "small" but were heavier than "large" chicks, and the real difference was in how fluffy their feathers were

Yes, all of that is correct! She's definitely smaller by weight also. Much smaller and lighter in weight than the others. She seems to still be completely fine other than that.

 

[NatJ]

Yes, all of that is correct! She's definitely smaller by weight also. Much smaller and lighter in weight than the others. She seems to still be completely fine other than that.

If she seems healthy and active, and is eating/drinking/pooping normally, I wouldn't worry--some chickens just are smaller than others. If you are ever selecting chickens for breeding, it's something to pay attention to, but if you just want healthy pets it shouldn't matter.