Is my chick sick?

[Justahannah]

I have a nearly 8 week old light brahma chick that has me stymied. For the last two weeks her posture has become increasingly hunched, like she keeps her neck as short as possible. At first we made jokes about how she's extra puffy and has no neck (it's like her beak sits on her chest), but her siblings maintain a regular posture so I'm wondering if something could be wrong. I've been observing her to pinpoint any other changes, but the only other thing I've noticed is her feet tend to be cooler that the other chicks...not super cold, but definitely not as warm.

Her eyes are clear, she grooms herself normally, seems to have normal range of motion when turning her neck and looking around, appetite and thirst are normal, her poop looks a little smaller than the others but otherwise normal, crop feels the same size as the others', she scratches and pecks and gets excited and competitive over treats. She can extend her neck, and will to reach for treats or if I rub it, but the great majority of the time she's keeps it very low. Her personality seems a little more subdued and cuddly than the others, but that may be related to me giving her extra handling while trying to figure out what's up. I appreciate any feedback...I'm new to raising chicks and archive searches on posture all seem to pertain to egg binding, wry neck, and mating position so I'm at a loss. The first pic is how she spends the majority of her time, the second pic (center brahma) is about as far as she seems willing to extend it unless there are particularly tasty treats to fight over. Thank you!

 

[CMV]

I don't see anything in the pic indicative of a problem. That being said, is she significantly smaller than her brooder mates? Do they have access to the dirt? Like do you let them outside?

 

[Justahannah]

My EE chicks are monsters and are bigger and/or heavier than the brahmas, but of the three brahmas there's one larger and this one is about the same size as the other small one that acts normal. So I would say maybe not significantly smaller, but there is a size difference. They've been getting outdoor time a couple times a week, and I also bring in lawn clippings and garden weeds for them to rummage through. Should have the run finished within the next couple days, so they'll be outdoors full time very soon. I would love to figure out why her posture is so flat and grumpy compared to everyone else when her health seems normal and she makes happy normal noises as well. Thank you!

 

[CMV]

I would keep an eye on her. The puffed up posture is indicative of cocci. I would watch her behavior carefully for the next few days to make sure she doesn't have it. If she should go off her feed and act lethargic, I would treat her ASAP.

Good luck.

 

[Justahannah]

Thanks...we never were able to figure out what was wrong with her, she maintained this kind of hunched, grumpy look for a couple of weeks with normal (but small) waste, and was actively feeding like the others. Then one day she went downhill really fast, her waste turned liquid and green, and she passed the same night .

 

[CMV]

I am sorry for your loss.