Can chicks be "runts"?

[sukochickens]

This is probably a stupid question, but can you have a "runt" chick? I bought 2 australorp chicks from TSC and one is just so scraggly looking. It was noticably smaller when I brought them home and it just has not been developing like the other one. They are 4 weeks old now and the one chick is pretty much fully feathered, while the other one has these weird patches of feathers. I read that roos can be slower to feather out (they're supposed to be sexed pullets but I know how that goes).

But it's not just the fact that it's slower, it's the way it's feathers are coming in. It just looks so odd. So I thought maybe a delayed chick?

 

[Egg Snatcher]

This is probably a stupid question, but can you have a "runt" chick? I bought 2 australorp chicks from TSC and one is just so scraggly looking. It was noticably smaller when I brought them home and it just has not been developing like the other one. They are 4 weeks old now and the one chick is pretty much fully feathered, while the other one has these weird patches of feathers. I read that roos can be slower to feather out (they're supposed to be sexed pullets but I know how that goes).View attachment 2592948View attachment 2592949View attachment 2592950 But it's not just the fact that it's slower, it's the way it's feathers are coming in. It just looks so odd. So I thought maybe a delayed chick?

I wonder if the chick came from a Pullet egg. I hatched one, the chick was tiny.

 

[sukochickens]

I wonder if the chick came from a Pullet egg. I hatched one, the chick was tiny.

OMG it's SO cute!!!!

 

[rosemarythyme]

Yes there's such things as runts. Sometimes they're just slow and will grow out of it and eventually catch up with the others. Other times, there's something wrong internally which is causing them not to grow, and it'll eventually kill them. But if the chick is active and eating it's hopefully the former and not the latter.

 

[sukochickens]

Yes there's such things as runts. Sometimes they're just slow and will grow out of it and eventually catch up with the others. Other times, there's something wrong internally which is causing them not to grow, and it'll eventually kill them. But if the chick is active and eating it's hopefully the former and not the latter.

Thank you! It is acting normal otherwise, just looks kind of funny. So hopefully it'll start catching up!