Baby chick not growing... when to be concerned???

[Stephanie8806]

Hello all! I have a new flockof 12 chicks(will have had them two weeks on April 9th), so not very long... but I’m all about trying to fix a problem sooner rather than later. We have a mixed flock, 7 different breeds. My problem baby is a silver laced Wyandotte(I have two, and one seems to be growing just fine).

Our little baby seems to be feathering well, eats and poops normally, is energetic, and flaps and flutters around with the rest. And the rest of the girls don’t seem to be bullying her at all. But she doesn’t seem to have grown at all. Her feet are still very small. The size difference is quite obvious, next to the other 11.

I’ve read about maybe offering her extra protein to help boost her growth, which I’ll likely start tomorrow. And I know sometimes some animals are a little slower to grow or may always be a little “runty”... but my question is: When should I truly be concerned? If she stays so small, when is it a real problem? Should I start weighing her, so I have a more tangible growth meter?

 

[MGG]

Hello all! I have a new flockof 12 chicks(will have had them two weeks on April 9th), so not very long... but I’m all about trying to fix a problem sooner rather than later. We have a mixed flock, 7 different breeds. My problem baby is a silver laced Wyandotte(I have two, and one seems to be growing just fine).

Our little baby seems to be feathering well, eats and poops normally, is energetic, and flaps and flutters around with the rest. And the rest of the girls don’t seem to be bullying her at all. But she doesn’t seem to have grown at all. Her feet are still very small. The size difference is quite obvious, next to the other 11.

I’ve read about maybe offering her extra protein to help boost her growth, which I’ll likely start tomorrow. And I know sometimes some animals are a little slower to grow or may always be a little “runty”... but my question is: When should I truly be concerned? If she stays so small, when is it a real problem? Should I start weighing her, so I have a more tangible growth meter?

Sometimes it is from a Vitamin A, Vitamin B12, Choline, Pantothenic Acid, or Riboflavin Deficiencies. Clearly it wouldn't be all of these at once, but you may want to read up on them and maybe increase their levels. I've had multiple chicks have that same thing because of several of these deficiencies. Can you post some comparison pics?

 

[Rainwing]

One of my small chicks would sleep a lot, pecked a little bit at dry crumble in the brooder and only felt comfortable eating wet crumble with honey from my hand or boiled egg. I noticed how small she was on the third day. I would feed her multiple times a day w/ vitamins in water but no growth at all, no tail feathers after 10 days (only baby wing feathers), and on the 10th day she passed away peacefully. Consistently stayed between 28 - 34 grams, and one day was only 19 grams. Chicks mass about 35 to 40 grams when they first hatch... I would be worried if the chick is still around that weight 2 weeks in.

Yours is feathering well though so that should be good. She also made it this far, which is another good sign. I would refrain from giving the chicks empty treats like white bread or crackers and give them scraps of meat or fish from meals instead. Make sure to feed her personally so she doesn't miss out. Weighing would be a good idea to have a better idea of how things are going compared to the previous day and see if she is improving.

Some of my chickens were stunted in growth in the past and they still were productive layers and members of the flock, but some people have severely stunted chickens who never gain the ability to lay eggs. I don't know how to prevent severely stunted growth, I would just feed them more, supplement vitamins and hope for the best.

 

[Stephanie8806]

Sometimes it is from a Vitamin A, Vitamin B12, Choline, Pantothenic Acid, or Riboflavin Deficiencies. Clearly it wouldn't be all of these at once, but you may want to read up on them and maybe increase their levels. I've had multiple chicks have that same thing because of several of these deficiencies. Can you post some comparison pics?

I will post some pictures tomorrow, It’s hard to really see without natural light. I will post all together, direct comparison to the other SL Wyandotte, as well as individual pics to show feathering.

 

[Stephanie8806]

One of my small chicks would sleep a lot, pecked a little bit at dry crumble in the brooder and only felt comfortable eating wet crumble with honey from my hand or boiled egg. I noticed how small she was on the third day. I would feed her multiple times a day w/ vitamins in water but no growth at all, no tail feathers after 10 days (only baby wing feathers), and on the 10th day she passed away peacefully. Consistently stayed between 28 - 34 grams, and one day was only 19 grams. Chicks mass about 35 to 40 grams when they first hatch... I would be worried if the chick is still around that weight 2 weeks in.

Yours is feathering well though so that should be good. She also made it this far, which is another good sign. I would refrain from giving the chicks empty treats like white bread or crackers and give them scraps of meat or fish from meals instead. Make sure to feed her personally so she doesn't miss out. Weighing would be a good idea to have a better idea of how things are going compared to the previous day and see if she is improving.

Some of my chickens were stunted in growth in the past and they still were productive layers and members of the flock, but some people have severely stunted chickens who never gain the ability to lay eggs. I don't know how to prevent severely stunted growth, I would just feed them more, supplement vitamins and hope for the best.

Thank you! Yeah, I’m all about quality food for all my animals(we are what we eat, after all!). They already get corn and soy free feed. I have dried meal worms and was thinking about making her a hard boiled egg tomorrow.

Ive spent a lot of time watching them the last few days, and she doesn’t get bullied at all. Pushes her way in to food with all the other girls, and usually stays after they all finish too. No lethargy, super energetic, seems normal other than the size setback. I think I will go weigh her tonight, and see where she’s at. I didn’t really know what newly hatched chicks should be at, so thanks for the numbers!

It’s interesting, both my SL Wyandotte’s started a little smaller than all the others. But the other one is as big as all the others now. I love an underdog, so this little one has instantly become one of my faves

 

[Stephanie8806]

One of my small chicks would sleep a lot, pecked a little bit at dry crumble in the brooder and only felt comfortable eating wet crumble with honey from my hand or boiled egg. I noticed how small she was on the third day. I would feed her multiple times a day w/ vitamins in water but no growth at all, no tail feathers after 10 days (only baby wing feathers), and on the 10th day she passed away peacefully. Consistently stayed between 28 - 34 grams, and one day was only 19 grams. Chicks mass about 35 to 40 grams when they first hatch... I would be worried if the chick is still around that weight 2 weeks in.

Yours is feathering well though so that should be good. She also made it this far, which is another good sign. I would refrain from giving the chicks empty treats like white bread or crackers and give them scraps of meat or fish from meals instead. Make sure to feed her personally so she doesn't miss out. Weighing would be a good idea to have a better idea of how things are going compared to the previous day and see if she is Improving

UPDATE: I just weighed her, and a few of the others(including the other Wyandotte) for comparison... The others all were right around 90grams, and she clocked in at 62grams. So she’s about 30% smaller than her flock mates, but has definitely gained weight since hatching, of an average hatching weight is 35-40grams

 

[Rainwing]

The others all were right around 90grams, and she clocked in at 62grams. So she’s about 30% smaller than her flock mates, but has definitely gained weight since hatching, of an average hatching weight is 35-40grams

That's good news! Still small, but my little chick was 28 grams when the others were 90 grams, so it's good comparatively. Hopefully she keeps gaining weight!

 

[MGG]

Wyandottes do tend to grow very slowly, they are not fully mature til they're a year old.

 

[Stephanie8806]

Wyandottes do tend to grow very slowly, they are not fully mature til they're a year old.

I was wondering if that might be the case, but my other Wyandotte is normal sized

 

[MGG]

I'm not sure then. @

I was wondering if that might be the case, but my other Wyandotte is normal sized

I'm not sure then. @casportpony would you be willing to share your thoughts? I know you're pretty busy, but I'd love to see what you think. I wouod guess it's just failure to thrive then. That is caused by many things though. Bad genetics, just a weak bird, deficiencies, internal birth defects, etc.