Is this a dwarf?

[BaGAWK!!]

I've heard of dwarves before but never have seen one. I got 4 EE babies in my last batch that are all relatively the same age, give or take a few weeks. Well I'm assuming this one is an EE as well, the lady I got them from didn't know what the heck they were but I know what breeds the lady has that she got them from. This one, the little mostly black w/white on the right, took the longest to feather out, but seems to be a pullet. Might be 9ish weeks old?

Anyway, seems to be smaller than a bantam which I have several of them. She is half the size of her EE counterparts and growing very slowly. Thoughts anyone?

Here is Stella on the right, next to her "sister" Muffy from the same batch:

ANd this one just to show her pattern:

 

[Kevin565]

Could she be a bantam EE?

 

[ChickiKat]

Looks like a banty. Sure is cute.

 

[speckledhen]

She could be a genetic dwarf or just a runt.

Dwarfism isn't just about size. It's a gene they inherit. There are several types of dwarfs. One type doesn't develop proper comb and wattles on the males, have short legs and just are very small. Another type, one that has shown up in some Delaware lines, including my own, has a parrot beak, short legs, crooked toes, a Downs Syndrome-like appearance to the eyes and doesn't live more than a couple to three months, usually.

 

[nurse_turtle]

It's hard to tell the size of the bird without a known reference object, like an aluminum can or tennis ball or slice of bread....

 

[BaGAWK!!]

Interesting answers. She could be a bantam EE I guess, not sure if the woman I got them from had bantams though. I thought she only had standard. It will be interesting to see how she grows up.

Forgive them their scraggly appearance, it's been raining for days, they just can't resist being out in it looking for earthworms

.

 

[chickendales]

they look sickly

 

[speckledhen]

Not sure if it's just that it's cold out or what they were standing on making them nervous, but yeah, they don't look all that perky to me, either. A prolonged bad bout with cocci as a young chick or improper feeding can stunt growth as well.

 

[Keara]

To me they look like they are standing in the rain, and wet. I'm not sure about unhealthy?

 

[BaGAWK!!]

It is cold out and windy, and just started raining again to boot when I shot this photo. They were wet and also nervous b/c I took them away from their buddies to shoot the pic! They do have the last remnants of a respiratory infection that is being watched and treated...unfortunately I found out 1 in my flock had CRD/MG the day I got this young batch....It moved through everybody and so, inevitably they got it too shortly after adding them to the original flock

. Now my flock is closed. Stella and sibs were quarantined for 7 wks before adding them to the original flock and didn't show signs of being sick then.