Please help! 4 week old chick small and sleepy

[sw4179]

2 weeks ago we bought a couple of chicks that we have been keeping indoors in a box with a lamp til they are old enough to go outside. 1 was slightly smaller and was always more timid. Over the last 2 weeks, Betty, the larger chick, has really grown and thrived but Mabel, the smaller one has hardly grown at all and for the last couple of days had seemed to just be trying to sleep all the time and always has her eyes closed even when she is eating. She is cheeping a lot and I am really worried, please help, we are new to this and not sure what's wrong.

 

[Judy]

You might try feeding her separately, maybe 10 minutes twice a day, in case the other one is keeping her away from the food. A lot of people keep the chicks too warm; it's best to have a brooder large enough that they can get away from the heat, which they usually will, at least part of the time. It could be she will recover and catch up, or she may have something wrong that you can't fix. Read here:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/39604/some-causes-of-early-chick-mortality/0_20

(this is in the sticky on the Raising Baby Chicks forum.)

 

[sw4179]

Hey thanks for this, really appreciate it! I think if anything she would be cold as we are coming into winter here in oz but I will try all you have suggested and have a good read through what is on the link. Fingers crossed that she will come good.