cuckoo cuckoo maran chick?

[gallera]

hello all,

first off, it's great to have finally registered with the site, as i've been a lurker for about 3 months now. real quick, i'm the proud owner of 4 healthy adult chickens, 8 healthy month old chicks, 9 healthy week old chicks, and one 2 week old cuckoo maran that has me stumped. i don't want to bore everyone with the details of my flock, but while i'm not entirely savvy, i try really hard to be sanitary, and overall i'm probably a little chicken crazy when it comes to making life good for my chicken friends.

so, to get to the point, i have 8, one week old chicks of different breeds that are co-habitating nicely in their brooder (all seem healthy on all fronts), and one, 2 week old cuckoo maran that isn't so happy. her droppings are normal, and she's growing nicely, but her feather development is so far behind the other (i have a cuckoo that at three weeks is just beautiful), and she seems so much skinnier. as in, she is almost all down and her breastbone is quite noticeable. also, i can handle the other chicks normally, but when i pick said cuckoo up, the racket is unbelievable. additionally, i've noticed the smaller chicks have been pecking at her breast area recently, which really concerns me. there isn't significant damage, and i use a red light in the brooder, i just worry that i will lead to further problems. i've looked through all my chicken books for vitamin deficiencies, but i haven't found too much about the cuckoo maran development. (also, i purchased these cuckoos from a reputable family farm, so i'm hoping i didn't purchase another breed.)

okay, i'm sort of shirking here because i realize that is a lot of totally random information that could amount to nothing but a, "duh", so apologies in advance if i'm overreacting and many thanks in advance for all the hard working volunteers and contributers to this site!

 

[gallera]

and no, i'm pretty sure she isn't a duck!

 

[3chimama]

First of all, welcome to BYC. I have Cuckoo Marans myself...have you tried using blue coat on the chick's sore to keep the others from pecking it?

 

[gallera]

thank you for the welcome and the quick reply!

i have not, and i should clarify that it's not a sore per se, it's just that i noticed the smaller chicks literally pulling her downy feathers out, and she has very few mature feathers coming in, so it's more like she looks like she's balding, or thinning.

i've had her for a week now, so i can't imagine it's a temperature thing (especially since the other chicks and my other cuckoo is developing nicely), but in all honesty, i'm a novice. also, if my other cuckoo wasn't looking so gorgeous, i wouldn't be so concerned.

 

[gryeyes]

Sometimes, there is a chick or two that just doesn't thrive. Added to that, the other chicks can sense "difference" and they're quick, instinctively, to isolate and pick on the Different One.

That may or may not be the situation here. But I thought I would throw it out in case your chick goes downhill.

Good luck!

 

[wolftracks]

from California

Some will say not to do it, but I have and it's helped in cases like yours. I add about 1-2 teaspoons of sugar to a quart of water and this helps with chicks that fall a little behind. Won't hurt the rest either. After a day of this I add a tblsp of ACV to the quart of water. It's great for all of them. Helps boost the immune system. Maybe try some meal worm treats and make sure the little cuckoo gets some. It's a frenzy when those are added to a brooder. You can also try boiling some eggs and feeding them the yolks.

Hope some of this helps.

 

[gallera]

thank you gryeyes!

i thought of that too, i just found it odd that she continues to grow (she's tall, just skinny) but her feathers do not. i should post a pic, but oh, the squawking....

thanks again for the replies, i'll rest easier for sure.

 

[gallera]

thank you wolftracks, just saw your reply. wow, you guys are great!

i've been doing the meal worms (we even started growing our own) and i make sure to hand feed each chick in addition to sprinkling them about, because as i mentioned previously, i am *that girl* when it comes to fussing over my chickens.

we (my boyfriend and i) added an electrolyte supplement today and i will for sure try the ACV tomorrow. we have been very luck so far (only loosing a couple pullets to the darn house cats, ugh), so i guess i just need to accept that we are not going to have a 100% success rate. i will take all your advice into consideration tho, and thanks again!