Is something wrong? Help please

[vkchook]

Hello, my chicks are going on 7 weeks and all healthy and happy save one-Penny. She seems happy enough,gets plenty of food/water, I never see the others pecking or harassing her but she is so small and looks just awful. She's always been smaller than the others but I'm concerned about her growth rate and feathering. They just aren't coming in like the other chicks are. They were all hatched (by us) same day but I'm unsure where the eggs came from. We were told that they were just a mix. Penny & two others seem to be cochins due to the feathered feet. Could she be a bantam perhaps? And is she ok? Sick?

This is her Penny on the right and one of her buddies on the left. They both appear to cochins,or some cochin cross but Penny does not look well in comparison

Ideas?

 

[rIrs roost]

Hello, my chicks are going on 7 weeks and all healthy and happy save one-Penny. She seems happy enough,gets plenty of food/water, I never see the others pecking or harassing her but she is so small and looks just awful. She's always been smaller than the others but I'm concerned about her growth rate and feathering. They just aren't coming in like the other chicks are. They were all hatched (by us) same day but I'm unsure where the eggs came from. We were told that they were just a mix. Penny & two others seem to be cochins due to the feathered feet. Could she be a bantam perhaps? And is she ok? Sick?

This is her Penny on the right and one of her buddies on the left. They both appear to cochins,or some cochin cross but Penny does not look well in comparison

Ideas?

She could be bantam. I've had chicks go through stages with the feather issues too. They turned out fine. It may be normal for some. I can't see very good on my cell though. Maybe someone else will chime in with more experience then I.

 

[howfunkyisurchicken]

They do appear to be Cochins, and comparing them to that barred Rock(?) behind them, I'd guess they're standard size. Honestly, everything looks pretty normal to me. Cochins are a VERY slow maturing breed, they can take around 18 months to reach their full potential. Pretty much all of my LF Cochins go through a phase where they just look patchy and ragged, like their bodies grow faster than their feathers. But, eventually their feathers catch up and they go from ugly duckling to beautiful swan. Also, even though you're dealing with 2 birds of the same breed, those birds are still individuals, with different genetics. Usually my smaller, slow to feather chicks end up being cockerels (not always, but usually). The boys seem to grow SO much slower than the girls. And they don't do it gracefully.

If they're active, eating, drinking and pooping normally, I wouldn't worry about them

 

[vkchook]

They do appear to be Cochins, and comparing them to that barred Rock(?) behind them, I'd guess they're standard size. Honestly, everything looks pretty normal to me. Cochins are a VERY slow maturing breed, they can take around 18 months to reach their full potential. Pretty much all of my LF Cochins go through a phase where they just look patchy and ragged, like their bodies grow faster than their feathers. But, eventually their feathers catch up and they go from ugly duckling to beautiful swan. Also, even though you're dealing with 2 birds of the same breed, those birds are still individuals, with different genetics. Usually my smaller, slow to feather chicks end up being cockerels (not always, but usually). The boys seem to grow SO much slower than the girls. And they don't do it gracefully.

If they're active, eating, drinking and pooping normally, I wouldn't worry about them

 

[vkchook]

Thanks for the info! Glad to hear that both of you don't think there is anything wrong. Penny is a favorite with my kids. Interesting about the potential of it being a roo...I guess because of size I assumed early on that it was a "she". But Penny is always hanging back, very chill, watching over the others and never very competitive for bugs and such. If one gets a large bug,the others will chase that bird around a few minutes to try to nab it,but never Penny. In fact, I've actually seen Penny give a pincher bug to our BR before as a gift of sorts. Only time will tell! I was expecting some pathetic little crows from someone by now, but nothing yet!

 

[azygous]

First of all, Penny is most likely a pullet, not a cockerel as you fear. There are any number of reasons why she could be retarded in her growth and development. Like humans, chickens also vary in development and temperament. Her diminutive size could also affect her self confidence, making her a bit more reserved.

If she were mine, I would try to get some additional nutrients into her. It's possible she has a physiology that only partially processes her food into growth cells. I would try fermenting the feed and feeding it to the whole bunch. It's a natural way of getting important nutrients freed up from the feed to maximize health and growth. Go over to the Feeding and Watering forum and read a few pages of Bee's thread on fermenting feed to see how easy to do and beneficial it is. I've been feeding FF for going on four years now with amazing results.

If you don't want to go that route, then get some pro-biotic powder and mix that into the feed each day. You might also try individually dosing Penny with some Poultry Nutri-drench, a powerful vitamin formula just for poultry.