I'm new, and I'm wondering if this is normal.

[WitchyHerbalist]

I recently bought four chicks, a rhode island red, a black australorp, a silver-laced wyandotte, and a speckled sussex.

My question is regarding the rhode island red, Maisie. She is the same age as the others, but much smaller. She's bigger than a bantam chick, but significantly smaller than other chicks of the same breed and age. She also stumbles around a lot, bumps into things, and doesn't run to the other side of the brooder when I approach, like the other chicks do. Is it possible that she hatched prematurely? I should mention that Maisie is about five days old.

I plan on taking her to the local avian vet, but I wanted to get some advice from more experienced people. I really hope it's nothing, as my fiance and I have both grown attached to her, but if it is something that will significantly impact her quality of life, then I will do right by her and put her down.

 

[Egghead_Jr]

Your sure they were all hatched the same day?

They are shipped as day old but may not have been delivered the same day to store meaning some are older. A few days difference at this young age makes a huge difference in size.

 

[WitchyHerbalist]

Your sure they were all hatched the same day?

They are shipped as day old but may not have been delivered the same day to store meaning some are older. A few days difference at this young age makes a huge difference in size.

I know Maisie is at least five days old, but that's only if she was a day old when I got her. Even for a five day old chick, she's very small. I'm certain she's not a bantam, so I'm really worried about her size.

 

[azygous]

Is she eating? Pooping like the others? Does she spend a lot of time standing in one spot, sort of nodding off?

If she isn't eating as much as she should, she will be losing strength. That starts the snowball rolling down hill and she won't have the energy to eat, etc. If she isn't eating, you need to address that problem first. Moisten her crumbles with warm water. You might feed her crumbled tofu.

I would get some vitamins into her. Poultry Nutri-drench is the best thing for chicks on the cusp of not wanting to thrive. It will give her the boost she needs to get her on track.

Don't wait. She could go downhill quickly unless you intervene.

 

[WitchyHerbalist]

Is she eating? Pooping like the others? Does she spend a lot of time standing in one spot, sort of nodding off?

If she isn't eating as much as she should, she will be losing strength. That starts the snowball rolling down hill and she won't have the energy to eat, etc. If she isn't eating, you need to address that problem first. Moisten her crumbles with warm water. You might feed her crumbled tofu.

I would get some vitamins into her. Poultry Nutri-drench is the best thing for chicks on the cusp of not wanting to thrive. It will give her the boost she needs to get her on track.

Don't wait. She could go downhill quickly unless you intervene.

She's eating and drinking just fine, and the chicks' water is supplemented with Durvet vitamins and electrolyte powder. She's just small, and acting like she can't see very well.

 

[azygous]

Then you are doing everything you can, and you'll just have to keep an eye on her. If she has a vision problem, you can test her with treats, apart from the others, to see how well she sees. If a chick sees something good to eat, it will react promptly to it, running to it and snatching it right up.

Go ahead and test her and see how well she does. If she does have a vision problem, then there are strategies for assuring she can find her food and water without having to stumble around searching for it.

 

[WitchyHerbalist]

Found Maisie gaping this morning, and not touching the food or water. Taking her to the vet in an hour. PLEASE let her be ok...