I have a 10 day old chick that is growing slowly and acting strange...

[Sassysouth]

I have had 2 chicks that I call “cry babies”. They cried all the time and was always running up under the other chicks and acted cold all the time. And they were also much smaller that the others. I lost one at 8 weeks (when I thought all was going great) and one at 4 weeks. I don’t know if it was something neurological or what was going on. That was my experience with mine and I know it was no fault of my own. I am still a fairly new chicken owner, 18 months. Hopefully yours will be fine, I just wanted you to know you are not alone.

 

[lazy gardener]

What do they have for a heat source? Chicks that young MUST have appropriate heat.

 

[DoubleBoop]

Just the ambient temperature in the room and the other 7 hens. My girlfriend just raised 10 that are at 7 weeks old now with no heat source except ambient and has had no trouble with them. The chicks are very healthy and doing all they an to jump out of their box. They watch me through the plastic until they fall asleep. I'm there for them most of the day. Only the one of 8 acts like there's anything wrong. The other 7 are happy and healthy with no heat source. When I try to give the one heat, it moves away from it, so I know it's not cold. I'm in Texas and these are brown sex links, supposed to be large birds, so as far as I know they shouldn't have any trouble with cold especially seeing as I'm comfortable around 85 degrees and keep my bedroom that temp. At 11 days old the healthy ones are about 6 inches tall.

 

[ChattyChickens4Life]

Just the ambient temperature in the room and the other 7 hens. My girlfriend just raised 10 that are at 7 weeks old now with no heat source except ambient and has had no trouble with them. The chicks are very healthy and doing all they an to jump out of their box. They watch me through the plastic until they fall asleep. I'm there for them most of the day. Only the one of 8 acts like there's anything wrong. The other 7 are happy and healthy with no heat source. When I try to give the one heat, it moves away from it, so I know it's not cold. I'm in Texas and these are brown sex links, supposed to be large birds, so as far as I know they shouldn't have any trouble with cold especially seeing as I'm comfortable around 85 degrees and keep my bedroom that temp. At 11 days old the healthy ones are about 6 inches tall.

It's really important to give them a heat source. They move away from it because it's too hot. Play with the temp a bit. Heat is crucial to chicks.

 

[micstrachan]

I would not isolate her yet. Try taking the feed away at night like someone else suggested and check her crop in the morning. If you do the paper towel for bedding, crop massage, and chick starter only, it may resolve itself.

 

[DoubleBoop]

I have had 2 chicks that I call “cry babies”. They cried all the time and was always running up under the other chicks and acted cold all the time. And they were also much smaller that the others. I lost one at 8 weeks (when I thought all was going great) and one at 4 weeks. I don’t know if it was something neurological or what was going on. That was my experience with mine and I know it was no fault of my own. I am still a fairly new chicken owner, 18 months. Hopefully yours will be fine, I just wanted you to know you are not alone.

Thank you. I got 8 which would be way too many eggs for me to eat, but I wanted insurance in case I lost a few in their first year. I'm going to get a rooster and a couple more hens once these are big enough to be cooped. I can down 6-8 large eggs in a sitting and loooove breakfast tacos so hopefully in a few months I'll have fresh eggs, wild chili piquin salsa, and maybe even rabbit meat to go with my tacos! Yum!

 

[DoubleBoop]

I would not isolate her yet. Try taking the feed away at night like someone else suggested and check her crop in the morning. If you do the paper towel for bedding, crop massage, and chick starter only, it may resolve itself.

I really cant without isolating her because the other chicks spread the feed all over the pen. I have her isolated now and she''s actually calmed down and slept a little. I put a towel over the box and that seems to have calmed her down.

 

[halfpintlc]

Not sure about your crop issue, but as far as size, I have a red sex link that was half the size of the other 5 and took a really long time to feather out. Now it is all caught up (8 weeks old) and I am beginning to think maybe its a roo, also was the noisiest of the bunch. I read somewhere that roos will develop a bit slower, maybe that is what is happening? I am by no means an expert, this is my first time raising chicks, but I thought that I would share.

 

[DoubleBoop]

It's the only one without markings, so maybe. Does anyone have a picture of a brown sex link rooster at a week old? All of the hens are yellow/brown with black markings, but this one is solid orange with almost no markings.

 

[DoubleBoop]

It's been in isolation for a couple hours now and it's crop has shrunk to about half the size, but is as hard as bone. It's pooping at least once every 20 minutes on average.