Chick not growing

[Bpcountry]

Hello,
Last week we bought 6 chicks. This is our first time raising chickens. I notice one of the sexlink has not grown like the rest of the chicks. She is drinkong and eating, but not as often as the others. She sleeps more than the others, stands around a lot and does not like to lay with the other. Not sure what to do to help her. Any ideas? Attached a picture of her and the other chicks. Thank you!

 

[Boonie Stomper]

Were the chicks from the same batch? Was it the same size as the other sexlink? My first guess is that the smaller chick hatched later and is simply behind. Their growth is more noticeable once feathers start replacing fuzzy down. A few days age difference would look like your photo....
Can you post Close up pics?

 

[song of joy]

Wow - she's only about 1/3 the size of the others! Is it possible that a bantam got mixed in with the rest of the chicks? If so, she may be avoiding the sex-links, who tend to be more aggressive.

Have you checked for pasty butt? How warm is the warmest part of the brooder at chick height? How warm is the coolest part of the brooder at chick height?

 

[christwodog]

Are the bigger ones keeping her from getting to eat? She may need some TLC to make sure she is getting the nutrition she needs.

 

[Kuntry Klucker]

A couple of things to note before you panic.

1. It could be possible that they did not hatch at the same time. A few days can make a big difference is the size of chicks as they grow.

2. you could have received a bantam in the order. Hatcheries can make mistakes. I have gotten a few hatchery mix-ups in some of my orders.

3. Are the other chicks keeping the little one from getting to the food. You might want to set up a few feeding stations to divide the others up giving the little one a much better chance of getting food.

4. Look for illness. Chicks are prone to getting something called pasty butt. If so, get a damp warm cloth and gently soften and wipe the poo off the little one butt.

5. Make sure that you are feeding them to proper food for chicks. You need to feed a chick starter either medicated or non-medicated you preference. If you are feeding them too many treats this will dilute the balanced nutrition they need to grow properly found in their feed.

6. Finally if all else fails, you may need to hand feed her. Or remover her from the brooder to feed her making sure that she gets enough to eat.

*If you find that noting is working you may want to call the hatchery* It could be possible that they gave you a sick or weak chick. I have had that happen too. Normally they will reimburse you the money for a chick that failed to thrive. It does not replace the loss of the chick because its so sad when they die. But you will at least know not to order from that hatchery again.

 

[Bpcountry]

So the pucture with her next to the box, was when I brought her home last week, one in the shaving is her today. She is the only sexlink in the group. We bought all diffrent breeds of chickens, we let our kids pick them out. No pasty butt, that was the first thing I looked for on her. She was very similar in size with all the other chicks when we brought them home. I did notice she did have a bald spot up by her neck, which you can see in the dirat picture, but it has now filled in.

 

[Bpcountry]

Were the chicks from the same batch? Was it the same size as the other sexlink? My first guess is that the smaller chick hatched later and is simply behind. Their growth is more noticeable once feathers start replacing fuzzy down. A few days age difference would look like your photo....
Can you post Close up pics?

Wow - she's only about 1/3 the size of the others! Is it possible that a bantam got mixed in with the rest of the chicks? If so, she may be avoiding the sex-links, who tend to be more aggressive.

Have you checked for pasty butt? How warm is the warmest part of the brooder at chick height? How warm is the coolest part of the brooder at chick height?

No pasty butt. That was the firat thing I looked at. I do not have a the excate temp of the brooder. We are using a red lamp, suggested by the Wilco people. The chicks are not huddling directly under the lamp, and they are not huddling at the far away either. Plus the other chicks are doing great! So I assume the temp is right.

 

[Bpcountry]

Were the chicks from the same batch? Was it the same size as the other sexlink? My first guess is that the smaller chick hatched later and is simply behind. Their growth is more noticeable once feathers start replacing fuzzy down. A few days age difference would look like your photo....
Can you post Close up pics?

Wow - she's only about 1/3 the size of the others! Is it possible that a bantam got mixed in with the rest of the chicks? If so, she may be avoiding the sex-links, who tend to be more aggressive.

Have you checked for pasty butt? How warm is the warmest part of the brooder at chick height? How warm is the coolest part of the brooder at chick height?

A couple of things to note before you panic.

1. It could be possible that they did not hatch at the same time. A few days can make a big difference is the size of chicks as they grow.

2. you could have received a bantam in the order. Hatcheries can make mistakes. I have gotten a few hatchery mix-ups in some of my orders.

3. Are the other chicks keeping the little one from getting to the food. You might want to set up a few feeding stations to divide the others up giving the little one a much better chance of getting food.

4. Look for illness. Chicks are prone to getting something called pasty butt. If so, get a damp warm cloth and gently soften and wipe the poo off the little one butt.

5. Make sure that you are feeding them to proper food for chicks. You need to feed a chick starter either medicated or non-medicated you preference. If you are feeding them too many treats this will dilute the balanced nutrition they need to grow properly found in their feed.

6. Finally if all else fails, you may need to hand feed her. Or remover her from the brooder to feed her making sure that she gets enough to eat.

*If you find that noting is working you may want to call the hatchery* It could be possible that they gave you a sick or weak chick. I have had that happen too. Normally they will reimburse you the money for a chick that failed to thrive. It does not replace the loss of the chick because its so sad when they die. But you will at least know not to order from that hatchery again.

A couple of things to note before you panic.

1. It could be possible that they did not hatch at the same time. A few days can make a big difference is the size of chicks as they grow.

2. you could have received a bantam in the order. Hatcheries can make mistakes. I have gotten a few hatchery mix-ups in some of my orders.

3. Are the other chicks keeping the little one from getting to the food. You might want to set up a few feeding stations to divide the others up giving the little one a much better chance of getting food.

4. Look for illness. Chicks are prone to getting something called pasty butt. If so, get a damp warm cloth and gently soften and wipe the poo off the little one butt.

5. Make sure that you are feeding them to proper food for chicks. You need to feed a chick starter either medicated or non-medicated you preference. If you are feeding them too many treats this will dilute the balanced nutrition they need to grow properly found in their feed.

6. Finally if all else fails, you may need to hand feed her. Or remover her from the brooder to feed her making sure that she gets enough to eat.

*If you find that noting is working you may want to call the hatchery* It could be possible that they gave you a sick or weak chick. I have had that happen too. Normally they will reimburse you the money for a chick that failed to thrive. It does not replace the loss of the chick because its so sad when they die. But you will at least know not to order from that hatchery again.

Hello,
1. It is very possible they did noy hatch at same time. They are all diffrent breeds of chicken.

2. Not sure if it is a bantam. Before buying them the only chickens I have ever really been around where Rhode island reds. I have heavily researched each breed since getting them though.

3. I know she is eating but does not go to the food dish as often as the others. I did notice one of the others is kind of a bully (dark brahma) to her, but it seems the other stand up for her. If that makes sense.

4. No pasty butt for her. Did fine one other chick with it however. He poop looks good to, so I dont think it os cocci.

5. Bought the medicated chick food they sell at wilco along with the grit stuff they recommend add to it until they are 10 weeks old. Have not started any treats yet either.

6. How would you recommend hand feeding and what? I used to be a vet tech, but most animals they teach about are cats dogs and the occasional hampster. So helping a chick out is all new territory for me!

Thank you for helping !

 

[Kuntry Klucker]

What I mean by hand feed her is literally take her out of the brooder and put the chick feed in your hand and let her eat it. Not only will you build a strong bond with the chick this way but you will have a good idea of how much she is really eating. I don't think that she needs syrnge feeding, but you can mix her feed with water making a paste and feed her that way. That might be going a bit too far that's probably not needed. You just need to get a good idea of how much she is really eating. If she is eating well then it is most likely that you got a bantam in with the mix. If she is not eating well then we know that we need to look to other possibilities.

 

[Kessel23]

Something similar happened with one of my leghorn chicks last April, she has reached a mature size now but there is still something wrong with her... She never lays eggs and about once every two months she starts to bleed out of her butt, it stops after afew days usually. She has been separated from the main flock ever since the problem started nearly 10 months ago... She lives in a separate coop with a muscovy hen who gets bullied by my rouen drakes and a young rooster that I hatched last July who had a stroke and is partially brain dead, there coop is well heated, it never drops below freezing and food is always available to her.