Buttercup chick is much smaller than I would expect- Is this normal?

[TheLyonPride]

I have a buttercup chick that is appx. 2 wks old. I have gotten other breeds at the same time and she is the only one of her breed. I also have since gotten a few more australorp chicks that are a week old. The australorp chicks are bigger than the buttercup now. I have seen her eat and drink, and she is a bit more flighty than the rest but I assume that is because of her breed. Is this normal? Is she just a runt and will be a small chicken? Her feathers are developing but at a slower rate than her counterparts. She seems to always be sleeping when I check on them and has taken a liking to the younger chicks and tends to cuddle up with them. My three year old daughter has named her is is VERY attached and I just don't want to have her die if I can help it. Is there something i should be doing for her? or is this normal for buttercup breeds? Thanks for the help. I am new to this forum, just signed up today so I hope I am doing this right.

 

[Imp]

I have a buttercup and 2 EEs, hatched 3/31. All are the same size, except the buttercup's head seems narrower, than the EE's.

Imp

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

I am raising some buttercup chicks now, and they seem to be about the same size as my California White chicks the same age. My Black Australorp chickens are older by several weeks, and so can't compare them to the buttercups.

I would say that if you seem to have a runt, then you can help by making sure you have enough feeders so that there is not an undue struggle on her part to get food. An extra piepan placed in the brooder can help a lot sometimes, so the bottom-of-the-pecking-order hens can easily get food. Or even an applesauce cup full of food.

Buttercups are flighty- true.

Does your little BC also not eat or drink? Is she lethargic or does she act cold with feathers fluffed up? Any bloody poo? It helps to rule out an illness, too.

Sorry - I just read that yes she eats and drinks. I have had a chicken runt, too. Sometimes it just happens.

 

[TheLyonPride]

Thanks for the help. Mine two has a narrower head, but she is really all around smaller. I did add another feeder in at a lower height too, just in case she wasn't getting her fill. I haven't noticed any blood, but thank you for the heads up, I will be more watchful to ensure we don't have any diseases. She doesn't seem too cold, but I am new at this. And I don't know if I would call her lethargic, she just seems to have tamed out a bit. Hoping it doesn't mean anything bad. I sat and watched her for a while and one thing I noted was that she sleeps standing up still, like the newbies in the flock, not like her 2 week old counterparts. I am going to get another buttercup tomorrow at the local feed store so I can compare and see if they are just a really small breed. Really hoping we just have a runt. I don't think we will name the new one just in case...

Thanks for the help and comments. It was very helpful. I think I will stick around this chicken community thing.