Baby maran just not 'thriving'

[canesisters]

I picked up 2 maran chicks on 5/5, each about 1 week old (and 6 others, of other breeds, the same day about 2 weeks old). Took them home and started them on medicated chick starter and save-a-chick for the first couple of days. Continued with the starter - as far as I can tell, they both eat fine. I have not seen the older ones picking on them at all but just to be sure, I put in a second feeder. This past Sat I noticed one of them 'sneezing' so I picked up a bottle of 'sulumet' (or something like that) and added it to the water. I figured that if she was contagious she had already 'infected' everyone, so I 'treated' them all. I was concerned what the meds in the water might to do their digestive systems so I started giving them a big'ol spoonfull of plain yogurt with a sprinkle of their starter on it (to get them interested) every morning.
The older chicks are doing great. Growing like weeds, feathers popping out everywhere, trying to fly, just thriving.
But the 2 marans look EXACTLY the same as the day they came home. No bigger. No feathers growing. They see thin to me so I started getting up 30mins earlier so that I could take them out and give them some time to have at the yogurt/crumbles without the others butting in. I've also started adding a smashed up hard boiled egg in the evenings every couple of days. The last several days, they've been taking turns scaring me to death. Each evening one of them will be looking so pitiful that I'm actually surprised when it's still alive the next morning. Then it will be the other one the next evening.

Am I missing something? Is there something that I should be doing? Something that I should stop doing? They are getting the same care, in the same conditions as the others but just don't seem to be doing well at all.
Any ideas????

 

[ki4got]

one thing to consider, some breeds are slower growing/feathering than others... it's hard to compare different breeds/ages together for so many reasons. are they acting fine? eating normally?

re: the sneezing, was there any wetness to their nostrils? they might be sneezing if someone was dust bathing in the shavings and kicking up dust. without any nasal discharge or hearing clicking when they breathe, i wouldn't worry...

sometimes over-using medications can cause more problems than they solve, especially if they're discontinued too early, even if the birds don't show any signs of what they were being treated for in the first place. stopping early means the more resistant bugs now have a chance to grow, where the more susceptible died off quickly. even if they weren't sick and you started, i'd still follow the full course, because bacteria is present most of the time and only gets a foothold in birds who are stressed or weak, and again, the more resistant will hang in there if you stop too soon, and if/when the bird does get sick, it's that resistant strain that will take off and be that much harder to kill next time.

i mix chicks of different breeds/ages, up to 3 weeks apart without problems. if the young ones get picked on it's usually only for the first several hours or so. when they wake up the next morning they're all family. LOL

what are the other breeds you got? it could be that your younger chicks are growing, but at the same rate as the older ones so you're just not seeing the differences. do you weigh them? an inexpensive gram scale is invaluable for a number of things. they go on ebay for under $10 each including shipping, if you shop around. i also have a hanging scale to weigh larger birds with, sold as a 'fishhook luggage scale'. same price range, larger weight range.

 

[canesisters]

Thanks!

I will continue the water meds for the rest of the week then. It is dusty in there, the larger ones keep trying to fly and stiring up all kinds of stuff.
As far as I can tell, both of the marans eat fine. When I take them out to let them have first dibs on the yogurt breakfast, they go for it and I've seem both of them at the feeders.
The others are: 2 speckled sussex, 2 silver laced wynadottes, and 1 EE

 

[ki4got]

i should have also mentioned, a chick that isn't doing well is usually quite vocal too, or tends to sleep all day rather than exploring the brooder, interacting with others, etc.

 

[CorinneP]

Sounds like your doing everything and more ! are they eating well walking well .. If its just slow feather growth and size I wouldnt be as conscerned .. did the sneezing stop ?

 

[ki4got]

Quote:

Thanks!

I will continue the water meds for the rest of the week then. It is dusty in there, the larger ones keep trying to fly and stiring up all kinds of stuff.
As far as I can tell, both of the marans eat fine. When I take them out to let them have first dibs on the yogurt breakfast, they go for it and I've seem both of them at the feeders.
The others are: 2 speckled sussex, 2 silver laced wynadottes, and 1 EE

personally i would probably attribute that to breed/color variations. even within a single breed you might see different colors feathering in more rapidly than others. my birchen cochin chick still had mostly fluff around 5 weeks of age, where the others were nearly fully feathered. at over 3 months of age now you can't tell her from the others except by color.

 

[canesisters]

Sounds like your doing everything and more ! are they eating well walking well .. If its just slow feather growth and size I wouldnt be as conscerned .. did the sneezing stop ?

Thanks. Yes, they seem to be eating ok, I see them at feeders and when I give them the yogurt breakfast, they go after it pretty well.
No, I heard the little BCM sneeze this morning. I don't see any discharge though. Ummm... what would it look like??? Do chickens get snotty??
Although I'd love for them to be developing as fast as the others, what I'm most concerned about is if they are eating ENOUGH. How can you tell if they're getting enough? And is there anything I could/should be doing to supplement them?

 

[ki4got]

check them just before bedtime, their crops should be full to bursting... if you don't know about crops, it's a pouch between the beak and stomach that is able to hold a large amount of feed to slowly empty into the stomach during times they can't actively eat. if you feel down the front of the neck toward toe breast you can't miss a full crop. it's a large hard pouch just off to the bird's right from center.

birds will eat several times a day to fill the crop. unlike other animals that eat a few large meals a day, a birds metabolism is 100% all the time, so a steady supply of food is essential. but eating 24/7 isn't possible or practical.

 

[canesisters]

I put the kids out in their playpen for a couple hours this afternoon. They (the marans) picked the tips off grass, ate ants, pecked sand, ate more grass, pecked more sand, etc. Hurra (the bcm) even joined in the wild chase for a worm. Sugar (the wheaten) was napping and missed the worm chase but she made up for it once they got back in the brooder. Good grief that little girl made a pig of herself. I stood there for an hour and 'guarded' the smaller feeder so that only the marans and one of the sussex could get to it. They were still eating when I left and let the bigger birds come over. Hurra is still sneezing a little, but it seems better. Maybe it IS the dust in the brooder. Is there anything I can do for that? Could I replace the shavings with sand??? I put the 'meds' back in the water to finish the cycle and will continue giving the little girls their yogurt/egg treat in the mornings. Is there anything I could add that would boost their calories/energy??

Ki4got, I don't have a scale that I can use for them but just in my hands, Sugar seems to be lighter than Hurra - and both of them are still TINY compared to the others. At one point this afternoon, Candy (the EE) stood up super tall to get a look at a fly and Sugar walked right between her legs! Maybe the time outdoors will help their appetites!

Hoping that they will continue to improve!

 

[highpointfarm]

she sounds just fine =] dont worry about it.