Brown shaver stopped growing - looking for advice

[brownshaverchickenmum]

Hi all,
I'm a first-time mum for my three babes and got them when they were a day old. I've read all the info and love them all so much (my workmates constantly ask how my chickens are doing).

I wanted to ask if anyone has had this problem before - one of my girls has stopped growing. A bit of background, when she was about 3-4 weeks she showed signs of coccidiosis (she wasn't really eating, standing off on her own, generally acting off, I think a sneeze here and there) which I caught within hours of her showing signs and took her to the vet that night. After a day on antibiotics she came right and spent a week on those, put back with the other girls out of isolation, and all was good.

About a month ago she started acting a bit odd again - standing in the corner just kinda staring into space. Still eating and drinking, perhaps not as much as the others, but not enthusiastic. Her pooping was still normal. I took her to the vet which showed a slight weight loss (I weigh them every week, down from every second day when they were babies) but other than that nothing. The vet also did a poop test for Marek's disease which came back negative. My next options were blood tests and an xray if she didn't perk up.

She has acted more normal since then but her comb and wattle are still small and pink, she doesn't gain weight (or lose weight) and doesn't seem to eat as much as the other two. They're all 21 weeks now, and the other two have just begun to lay in the past week. I spend a lot of time with them and when she is free in the yard she acts just as silly but tends to separate herself a bit from her sisters. If she is in the hutch, particularly in the morning, she tends to stand off from the others and seem a bit subdued.

I wonder if anyone has any advice? Something I'm missing? Maybe she will just be a small chicken and not lay eggs (which is Ok since I love them either way!) Thank you for any help.

 

[aart]

Was she tested for coccidiosis?
I don't believe antibiotics will treat a coccidian protozoa.
Coccidiosis can damage the intestinal tracts resulting in problems uptaking nutrition.

Also not sure Maraks can be found in feces.

Post pics of her next to her larger hatch mates?

Oh, and Welcome to BYC!

 

[brownshaverchickenmum]

Was she tested for coccidiosis?
I don't believe antibiotics will treat a coccidian protozoa.
Coccidiosis can damage the intestinal tracts resulting in problems uptaking nutrition.

Also not sure Maraks can be found in feces.

Post pics of her next to her larger hatch mates?

Oh, and Welcome to BYC!

Thank you for replying. She wasnt tested for that - how do they test for it? Added a photo, she is the chicken on the right. I have noted that her wing feathers look odd compared to the other two.

 

[aart]

She wasnt tested for that - how do they test for it?

Fecal.

Added a photo, she is the chicken on the right. I have noted that her wing feathers look odd compared to the other two.

Do you mean on the left?
Wing circled looks different...but would have to spread them out to see if maybe feathers are missing. She may just be a bit behind and hasn't grown her flight feathers in yet. She may be acting 'odd' because she's not laying but the other 2 are, I'm betting she's also 'low bird' in their tiny pecking order.

 

[brownshaverchickenmum]

Fecal.

Do you mean on the left?
Wing circled looks different...but would have to spread them out to see if maybe feathers are missing. She may just be a bit behind and hasn't grown her flight feathers in yet. She may be acting 'odd' because she's not laying but the other 2 are, I'm betting she's also 'low bird' in their tiny pecking order.
View attachment 1736153

Nope, on the right. That one is very active and has begun laying. I'll add another pic. This is a better one of her closer up, you'll see how she doesn't have many top wing feathers. Thank you for the replies.

 

[aart]

I am not seeing anything odd...maybe you mean this gap?

 

[brownshaverchickenmum]

I am not seeing anything odd...maybe you mean this gap?
View attachment 1736164

Lower on the wing where the large white feathers are, more the bottom. However if nothing stands out then I may be worrying about nothing there! The vet also said that she may just be lowest on the pecking order, like you said, and one of the others is definitely the boss. When I took her to the vet they did take a fecal sample and checked it that night and she said nothing came up.

 

[aart]

I see nothing for concern on the wings...at 21 weeks she still may be growing in her feathers......and I believe that shavers are a hybrid mix, so there can be some differences between birds.


I do find it odd that they found nothing in fecal....

When I took her to the vet they did take a fecal sample and checked it that night and she said nothing came up.

...but gave AB's for coccidisis???

A bit of background, when she was about 3-4 weeks she showed signs of coccidiosis (she wasn't really eating, standing off on her own, generally acting off, I think a sneeze here and there) which I caught within hours of her showing signs and took her to the vet that night. After a day on antibiotics she came right and spent a week on those, put back with the other girls out of isolation, and all was good.

...and I now see you had her separated from the others for a week, then put them back together, that can cause pecking order issues.

 

[brownshaverchickenmum]

I see nothing for concern on the wings...at 21 weeks she still may be growing in her feathers......and I believe that shavers are a hybrid mix, so there can be some differences between birds.


I do find it odd that they found nothing in fecal....


...but gave AB's for coccidisis???
...and I now see you had her separated from the others for a week, then put them back together, that can cause pecking order issues.

Ah, the antibiotics were for coccidiosis when she was 4 weeks old, but I took her at 18 weeks old which is when they did the poop test. So nothing since she was 4 weeks.