One of my chicks is really small

[crayon]

I have 10 new chicks (and 9, ten week old chicks) One of my new little ones (2 1/2 weeks old) is very small. She is a partridge rocks- I have 5 total PRs and she is so small- my other ones have feathered out a good bit and are growing quite nice (not as rapid as my RIRs- but nicely). However, my one poor girl is not growing much. Although she is very happy, eats a ton, drinks a lot and is over all active.

Can she be a midget chicken? I see no signs that she is not healthy- she is plump and happy- but my goodness a small thing. She looks like she is maybe 1 week old not 2 1/2 weeks old.

 

[Mahonri]

Keep an eye on her... sometimes there are runts in the flock.

 

[melodie_a]

We had one like that too. She is still a petite girl but she is the boldest by far. I come in frequently to find her up on the shelf that was supposed to be out of the chickens reach. She is up there happy as a clam where nobody else is brave enough to go.

 

[RonB]

Crayon
I had the same thing happen to me. I bought ten baby chicks in march. got several different breeds. I had two Austra whites. after two weeks one seemed to stop growing I thought she might die. then she pulled out of it and is fine now. she is way smaller then the rest but seems real healthy. in fact she even picks on some of the other girls !! I wondered if she was a runt. or even if there was such a thing as a runt chicken LOL.

 

[SanctusPullus]

Like Mahonri says, keep an eye on her in case she gets picked on, but otherwise if the only "symptom" you can find is that she's small, you're probably in good shape!

We've got a sex-link about three weeks old that's barely bigger than the week old Sussex sleeping next to her. The Marans and the Wyandotte that also share the brooder are literally twice her size though only a week older. She's curious and brave and very fast and eats more than her share - she's just small apparently. She takes care of herself very well and has the force of personality to be at the top of the future pecking order if not for her size. We love the little runt.