Looking for advice on a little runt chicken

[Eggcessive]

I would lean toward integrating the 2 groups, and letting her be with her regular flock. I have had bantams together in a large flock with no problems. My smallest bantam was always the most fierce to show any new birds that she was with the big girls, and to tow the line or else.

 

[mccmeadows]

I don’t know if I jinxed it, but unfortunately our little bird took a turn for the worst. She was not her regular spitfire self the other morning and was very lethargic. It was after the first night that it got down to zero, so I figured maybe she was just cold. We plugged in the heat lamp and she curled up on the rock and bathed in the warmth. By the evening she was having trouble breathing and passed this morning. I am devastated as we loved this little bundle of fluff so much.

 

[6BeachChicks]

That is exactly what happened to little dude. Nothing you could have done.it’s ok, loosing a chicken is the worst, spend lots of time with your other girls ok? It will get better.

 

[6BeachChicks]

How are you doing?

 

[klb25]

I'm so sorry.

 

[mccmeadows]

How are you doing?

Thanks, we’re doing ok. I read your threads about Little Dude and I’m so sorry for your loss as well. I know it should be more comforting knowing there’s nothing we could of done, but it’s still sad as they’re pets to us. Being in her coop will be hard for a few days, but it will pass as it has with the beloved ones before her.

 

[6BeachChicks]

Thanks, we’re doing ok. I read your threads about Little Dude and I’m so sorry for your loss as well. I know it should be more comforting knowing there’s nothing we could of done, but it’s still sad as they’re pets to us. Being in her coop will be hard for a few days, but it will pass as it has with the beloved ones before her.

Im not the person who owned little dude, but I have lost a chicken before. Your little friend is hanging out with my sweet Liz, who we knew had cancer. It’s so hard, but we will be ok.

 

[gimmie birdies]

If you can raise girls separate from roosters. They can bully a pullet from food because they are big and strong. They can create a failure to thrive chick.

 

[mccmeadows]

If you can raise girls separate from roosters. They can bully a pullet from food because they are big and strong. They can create a failure to thrive chick.

We do have a bachelor pad, but will try to sex them out quicker our next group of chicks and hopefully won’t have to go through this again. Thanks!

Birdie definitely didn’t seem to have an issue getting to food as she would just sneak under or stand on top of her hatchmates, so I do believe this was genetic. Nobody bothered her when she was actively passing or anything either, they all just laid around her (which was sweet as our group of Wyandotte’s bullied one of their hatchmates mercilessly when she started acting poorly in a heat wave, so we know what chickens are capable of. I didn’t want to have to separate Birdie and have her last moments be lonely, so I’m glad they were like that).

 

[RoosterWhisperer]

So, we have this little runt. Her name is Little Birdie, I think she is precious and she has us wrapped around her tiny toes.

Everyone from her hatch seems to be growing normal. There are a few size variations, but that would just be explained by the fact that they’re different mixed breeds (Ameraucana, Maran, Cream Legbar, Barred Rock, Olive and Easter Eggers). She eats and drinks normal and has no problem getting to the feeder (will just walk over or under others to get there if need be). No sign of worms in anybody, we keep a clean coop, they eat 17% grower with the odd garden scrap, fresh water twice a day, etc. Despite all that, she is at least half the size of the next smallest pullet and just doesn’t seem to grow at the same speed as everyone else. I’d say she’s the size her hatchmates were at 8-ish weeks and they’re around 16 weeks now. In the following photos you can see that she’s always been the smallest.

View attachment 2879833View attachment 2879835View attachment 2879837View attachment 2879875I don’t know if separating her will do her good or harm. We have 5 spring (March/April) hatch hens (4 Blue Andalusians and a Partridge Wyandotte) that we would like to integrate with the pullets from this hatch. I don’t know if I should go ahead with the integration with Birdie in there or maybe just winterize the coop the 5 are in and leave them separate and give her more time to grow. I’m ready to turn her into a house chicken at this point cause I’m constantly worried about her..

Any advice/input would be greatly appreciated. She has none of the characteristics described in the article about Thyrogenous Dwarfism I read on here (aside from the slow growth), so hoping it’s not that. The breeder doesn’t have bantams, but is it possible for regular sized hens to carry the bantam gene?

So cute, I had a runt and he grew up to be a strong rooster!