Runt baby- what else can I do?

[MROO]

You are doing what I did 2 weeks ago with our little Bernadette. She's still smaller than all the others, but she is growing. I don't have any more advice for you. I scrambled the egg and chopped it until it was roughly the size of her feed. I also made the feed a mash with the electrolyte water and made her eat. Bernadette wasn't eating or drinking when we brought her home, though. Good job!

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Bernadette is a CUTIE!

 

[MandaH]

You are such an adorable chick mom!! What a pampered little girl! She is so lucky to have been adopted by you <3

 

[MROO]

As long as your baby is eating, drinking and alert, you're likely on the right track. Keep up the vitamins/electrolytes. And X2 on the egg yolk. After all, it's what she's been surviving on for the first three weeks! From your pictures, your little one doesn't look un-thrifty, so who knows, you may actually have a surprise bantam. Wouldn't be the first time a store mixed 'em up ... and it won't be the last, I'm sure! Bantams are fun, though. There's an awful lot of personality packed into those tiny little birdie-bodies!

 

[Chickassan]

I will tell you what I tell everyone, live mealworms.
Go to petsmart, get a cup of live mealworms.
Put berries, melon, apple just something nice and nutritious in the cup of worms for them to eat.
Let the worms eat for an hour, take a few out for your chick and let her have them.
The reamaining worms, dump out their bedding and replace with chick starter so they'll eat and live off that you'll need to plop a berry or something in every couple days for moisture.
Offer the chick some grit to help process the goodies.
Guaranteed this method will strengthen that chick if it can be done.
Worms should be given twice a day at a rate of five or so.
Your other chicks would also LOVE them, but it gets expensive when you've got alot of little mouths.

 

[808momof4]

Bernadette is a CUTIE!

She really is! We were picking up some stuff at the feed store when an employee gave her to us and said her chirp was strong but she needed extra care. We took on the "challenge," named her after a small and sickly saint, and she seems to now be out of the woods. We are so in love and still baby her more than her sisters.

 

[MROO]

I will tell you what I tell everyone, live mealworms.
Go to petsmart, get a cup of live mealworms.
Put berries, melon, apple just something nice and nutritious in the cup of worms for them to eat.
Let the worms eat for an hour, take a few out for your chick and let her have them.
The reamaining worms, dump out their bedding and replace with chick starter so they'll eat and live off that you'll need to plop a berry or something in every couple days for moisture.
Offer the chick some grit to help process the goodies.
Guaranteed this method will strengthen that chick if it can be done.
Worms should be given twice a day at a rate of five or so.
Your other chicks would also LOVE them, but it gets expensive when you've got alot of little mouths.

Mealworms are REALLY easy to raise! It takes a good month to get them going, but once they start reproducing, they'll grow quickly. All you need is a box of dry rolled oats (or chick crumble) and a slice of apple, potato, or some other small moisture source every few days. They'll take care of the rest!

 

[Tatuana]

Eyllwe went through similar problems. Sugar water was a life saver - literally! I had her on that and chick starter. Force watered for the first day, and then she perked up. I second mealworms if you have access to them! Especially if you have other chickens to teach her. (I don't agree with they're easy to raise, though. I've been keeping them for two years for my lizard without success raising them. )

Personally for me I kept her with my other chicks. They seemed to be able to teach her how to be a chicken. She had no idea that you were supposed to be excited for treats until the other babies were. They also kind of showed her the ins and outs of where to hide and where the heat was.

I also had a little heat cave made out of two blocks of wood, a cookie cooling rack, a heating pad and felt. She spent a LOT of time in there roasting. Heck, she still roasts her booty to this day. The tiny ones like a lot of warmth and seem to need it longer than the adults. You could try something simple like that for her to hide in. Mine had NO interest in stuffed animals, but liked the cave.

As long as she's happy and hopping around it sounds like she will be fine. Eyllwe is still TINY compared to her sister chick - who was hatched the very same day in the same pen. She's also a needy little snot. But I've found her to be the friendliest of the bunch due to all the handling while young.

Lots of hugs for you and your chick! It's always so sweet when someone is willing to take up the challenge and not just give up. They're troopers, those chickens.

 

[Chickassan]

True, true, true! Only expensive when you're just starting out and your little mouths are eating all your breeder worms before they can make the beetle with two backs.

Mealworms are REALLY easy to raise! It takes a good month to get them going, but once they start reproducing, they'll grow quickly. All you need is a box of dry rolled oats (or chick crumble) and a slice of apple, potato, or some other small moisture source every few days. They'll take care of the rest!

 

[Homeschool Adventure Mom]

New question/update! I may need to post a new thread.. So runt baby was doing great! So strong, see new feathers poking through. As of last night I couldn’t see her drinking, she was fighting me when I tried to have her drink. She was also extremely hyper!!! Wouldn’t shut down & sleep for 5 hours straight? Frantically eating, running & crying too. I switched 1 of her little waters to regular water (no electrolytes/vitamins) after I noticed her vent sticking shut with evidence of yellow poo. I cleaned it.
Today I saw a few poos in her bed so I know she went overnight and again her vent was sealed (again very yellow poo, the color of electrolyte water). As soon as I cleaned it, she poo’d 2 times in my hand. I have now switched all tiny containers to fresh water (she only likes to drink out of medicine cup-size containers and because she was weak, I put them all around the edge of her box, some in shade, some in the light).
Can these electrolytes be too much for her? Should I just give electrolytes/vitamins every frew days?
Thank you!!

 

[Homeschool Adventure Mom]

Wow, Thank you all!! Live mealworms, really?? Do I need to chop them up? I guess if I’m going to be a chicken Mom I need to not be afraid of worms!! I just posted another post about my worry of her getting TOO MUCH electrolytes?? It’s yellow and last night and today she had sealed vent. I cleaned, very yellow poo, & added neosporin each time. Her poor vent looks raw. I have given her fresh water for now. (More details in my previous post)
How often can I give her yolk? Is there such a thing as too much? I scrambled yolk last night and crumbled it with her food.
I do stick her in with her sisters and yesterday for the first time she was at rapid speed chasing her sisters, doing what they do and napped with them. My white leghorn does overly peck her though so I don’t trust leaving her in there when I’m not watching. Hopefully soon!
Here is my set up- large tub with a box put in for my runt baby. She has little windows cut out on each side & sometimes they peek & peck at each other They share a light but I leave thermometers for my runt to make sure we have good heat. She gets cold or too hot easily and doesn’t always move herself as needed, but getting better.
Thank you all for your advice & positive stories & showing me your adorable chicks who are making it!! I need that