Chick not growing.

[Chicks4me8]

I have two bantam chicks and I am starting to worry about one of them. The chicks are a month old. The one chick is feathering out very nicely and seems to be on target. The other one however does not seem to be feathering out and is smaller than the other one. As for her feathers they are coming in but look "straggly". She seems to be fine otherwise just smaller than the other chick. I was hoping to move them outside with the other hens by the end of the month if not sooner but am starting to think that isn't going to happen as I don't want to separate these 2. I will try to get pictures but she is black so not sure how well the pictures will turn out. Any suggestions on what might be going on would be greatly appreciated.

 

[sumi]

If she's healthy, eating and behaving like normal she may just be a "runt". Extra high protein treats (mealworms, scrambled egg) and a vitamin+mineral supplement in her drink water would help with that. Also add a splash of ACV (apple cider vinegar) to their drink water (not together with the vit+min) now and then. This will help improve the condition of her feathers and also help her absorb the nutrients in her food better.

 

[Chicks4me8]

Thank you for that advice. I actually gave her some scrambled egg this morning as I thought I would see how they all liked them. I will get some meal worms for them on Friday.

The bantams have a 1 quart water bottle thingy. How much ACV should I put in there?

 

[sumi]

I forgot to say you should offer them some grit if you give them treats, to help them digest it. Some coarse sand sprinkled over their food will do if you can't find chick grit.

I use a ratio of 4-5 tablespoons ACV to a gallon water. And I give it all my chickens. It's sooo good for them!