Buckeye Runt

[CaliChicks13]

Hey there! Since joining a few months ago I’ve been learning all I can about my little chickens but obviously there are going to be things that I don’t know about! So, that’s why I’m on here to ask a question about my ”Littlest Buckeye”. I received 15 chicks at the end of July with 5 EE’s, 5 Faverolles and 5 Buckeye but one buckeye was dead on arrival. I lost another buckeye a few days later as well as a Faverolle. Fast forward two months and I’ve gotten a few more chicks and now i have two batches, one at about 8 weeks and another at 5 weeks. A few weeks ago I noticed one of my Buckeyes was significantly smaller and more lethargic than the others in her brooder, plus she’s smaller than my 5 week olds now. I’ve been keeping an eye on her but she hasn’t been getting any bigger. She eats and drinks and isn’t picked on too much, other than the occasional shove from the bigger girls, so my question is should I be a little more worried about her? I thought to myself maybe I just got a bad batch of buckeyes because I’ve already lost two of the five. I’m curious if this is a normal thing for this breed or she’s just a little runt. I want to give her the best chance at life and at two months she hasn’t had any other complications. What do you guys think? Any ideas what might be keeping her fun sized?

The pictures are of her and some of her friends. 4th pic is her next to one of the other buckeyes.
(This is my first attempt at adding images to my thread so if they don‘t show up correctly let me know)

 

[GermanKennhuhn]

I have a chick like that too. Just out of curiosity, where did you order from?
I would supplement the runt with Nutri-drench, or some other vitamins.
Wishing for the best!

 

[CaliChicks13]

I have a chick like that too. Just out of curiosity, where did you order from?
I would supplement the runt with Nutri-drench, or some other vitamins.
Wishing for the best!

I ordered them from Hoover’s Hatchery. I will admit I didn’t do as much research as I would have liked but other than the initial losses she’s the only one that has any problems. Definitely going to order from a different hatchery next time I decide to get chicks. I’ll see about nutri-drench! Any vitamins specifically you might recommend? Thanks for replying

 

[GermanKennhuhn]

I ordered them from Hoover’s Hatchery. I will admit I didn’t do as much research as I would have liked but other than the initial losses she’s the only one that has any problems. Definitely going to order from a different hatchery next time I decide to get chicks. I’ll see about nutri-drench! Any vitamins specifically you might recommend? Thanks for replying

Oh ok, I was just curious to see if we got them from the same hatchery. I got my runt from Meyers.
Maybe it was just a one time thing.
I think the Nutri-drench would be the best, but Durvet poultry vitamins are pretty good too.
No problem! Happy to help!