Failure To Thrive

[oceansunset73]

Hello. I purchased four Black Australorp chicks from my local feed store three and a half weeks ago. They are all four weeks old now. Three of them are doing great. However one of them is just not growing. She is less than 1/2 the size of the others. She is eating. She is drinking. She is preening. But she sleeps a lot and is not active like the others. And she peeps constantly, all day long. I have been given her Chick Boost for extra vitamins.

Just curious, what are the chances of a 'failure to thrive' chick surviving? What has been your personal experience with this? Any knowledge and advise would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you

 

[Folly's place]

If she has something obvious, like poo stuck to her rear end, fix that ASAP. Does her crop look like the others? Is she also very thin/ emaciated, which you can feel by comparing her to the others? Diarrhea? Breathing faster than flockmates?
If she has nothing obvious going on, there's nothing you can fix. Lots of things can be abnormal inside, and not every chick is going to live and do well.
Sorry,
Mary

 

[oceansunset73]

She does not have pasty butt. Her breathing is normal. Her crop looks normal. Her stool is not as solid at the others though, but it is not liquid either; it's just much softer than the other girls. There is no blood in it or anything though, and the color of it looks normal. She does seem thin though, even though she is eating a lot.

 

[Folly's place]

Are they eating a amprolium medicated chick starter? Have they been exposed to dirt from your coop?
If there's been no exposure to your environment, dirt wise, then coccidiosis is very unlikely, especially if you are feeding a medicated feed.
Treats? grit available?
I'm running out of ideas for fixable problems here...
Mary

 

[oceansunset73]

They are eating medicated chick feed.
They have not been exposed to anything from the outside yet.
No treats, just chick feed.

 

[oceansunset73]

 

[Folly's place]

I'd keep doing what I was doing then, and I'm sorry for your little chick.
If her gut, liver, or kidneys, for example, just aren't working as they should, you aren't going to fix it.
If she's getting worse, maybe it will be time for euthanasia.
Mary

 

[oceansunset73]

Ok thank you...

 

[PasoRoblesEgger]

Curious what happened to your smaller chick. I have a small black astrolourpe that didn't grow too. The other five are three times the size she is, they are 17 weeks old now.

She's healthy, fat as a little bug. Her legs are three inches long, when she runs it's the funniest thing. Sweet too and I baby her a bit when I can catch her.

 

[ackie]

Curious what happened to your smaller chick. I have a small black astrolourpe that didn't grow too. The other five are three times the size she is, they are 17 weeks old now.

She's healthy, fat as a little bug. Her legs are three inches long, when she runs it's the funniest thing. Sweet too and I baby her a bit when I can catch her.

Maybe she has a bantam as a daddy.