Question About Chick I Helped Out Of Shell

[carpetbeggar]

Ok, so we hatched a few brown laying hens from my Dad's styrofoam incubator last month and we got seven chicks now out of it. I ended up helping two out of the shells. The first one is now about a month old and is fine, no problems, yadda, yadda, yadda. The second one hatched three weeks ago now. I ended up helping it out. I'm not sure if I helped too soon or what, as this is the first time I ever hatched eggs on my own(with my Dad).
Anyway when I did I found they both were in such a position that I had my doubts whether they would have ever gotten out with my help. I'm thinking they may have been a little too big for the shell. So with the second one I admit I actually may have helped it hatch a bit too much, too fast. I know if you end up helping chicks, you are to do it slowly to mimic the way they would do it naturally. So anyway three weeks later the chick is totally fine, active, eats and drinks normally, gets along with the other chicks, basically every thing seems normal. The only thing is it seems to almost be the same size it was when it hatched. It is still so small. There was another chick that hatched by itself about an hour before this one started and it is so much bigger than the one I helped. Do you guys think the stunted growth could be due to me helping it out of the shell?
As I mentioned everything else is totally normal with it. It is actually a pretty cute little fella(or gal). I get a kick out of it running around with the other four chicks in with it. It's always trying to keep up with the others, it's adorable. The others don't try to bully it or anything and it fends for itself quite impressively. I'm just wondering about the lack of growth though. Do I have a dwarf chicken on my hands lol?
Thanks.

 

[kathyinmo]

Hmmmm, I have never heard of that happening due to helping a chick out of the shell. Maybe you have a bantam?

 

[carpetbeggar]

Yeah it is strange. All seven chicks that were hatched are all from the same one rooster and the two brown hens that are in with him.

 

[kathyinmo]

Well, there is a dwarfing gene. I have had 3 dwarfs. So, that is a possibility. The males I had to put down, but my female is doing well.

 

[carpetbeggar]

Interesting, I've never heard of that before. How big did the female grow when it had finished maturing and why did you have to end up putting the males down?
Thanks.

 

[Dane Chick]

I found this thread in a search for information on one of my D'uucle Bantam chicks. I got 4 D'uucle's on 4-23-10, two Mille Fleur and two Porcelain. Three are growing normally, but one is TINY. It is feathering, albeit a bit more slowly, just like the others, but it has barely grown at all in size. It is at least a quarter the size of the others. It is eating, drinking, and keeps up with the others. I got a Seabright Bantam chick on 5-5-10 and the little D'uucle is only as big as the one day old Seabright. She is so adorable, and is capturing my heart, and i am hoping that she will develop into a smaller hen, and not perish. Does anyone have any experience with a situation like this, or can offer insight or advice? She is such a cutie, i want to provide her with what ever she needs to have the greatest chance of survival.

 

[klf73]

it could just have something wrong with it that was the reason it didn't hatch itself

I have helped a few, some do well, some don't.... some should have never come out of the shell