Runt BR cockerel. Others with experience with runts? [UPDATED PIC]

[jossanne]

I have a 4wk BR or BSL cockerel who is very small compared to the other 13 packing peanuts he came with. They came with bantam cochin chicks, and the cochin babies have now overtaken him in size. He hardly weighs anything, and is hardly feathered compared to the rest of them. He's got wing feathers, and is now starting to get a few feathers on his wingbows. The other packing peanuts are almost completely feathered out already.

I've got him in with the cochin babies, so I can keep a closer eye on him and make sure he is eating and drinking. He seems active, and appears to be consuming as much food as everyone else.

What is your experience with runt chicks? If they appear healthy and active, do they usually have a good outcome? Do they ever catch up to the others? Will he always be tiny?

 

[gritsar]

My runt chick has never really caught up to the others in overall size. Still, she's a healthy weight for her size and does just fine. When she was little she got picked on a bit. I took her aside every day for an extra one on one feeding because she has a vision problem and can't grab food as quickly as the others do. Recently she has begun to move up in the pecking order and there are now at least four other hens that she won't take any **** from. I wouldn't trade her for the world.

 

[cmom]

I have one that is smaller than the rest and she was picked on in the beginning. I did show her some favoritism and now she isn't at the bottom of the pecking order. She was actually the first to lay an egg. She is still smaller than the rest.

 

[HennysMom]

my runt of the litter turned out to be the one that now pretty much rules the roost actually. We named her Runt (go figure) and she grew like the dickens all of a sudden at about 4 months of age. She was at the bottom of the pecking order - now she's the one doing the ordering!

I hope yours does okay... maybe it'll grow like mine did and come into its own.

 

[Cuban Longtails]

I had a couple, feathered slow too. We had'em for dinner.

 

[jossanne]

Just weighed the runt. He weighs 5 3/8 ounces. A bantam cochin pullet weighs 5 3/4 ounces. A bantam cochin cockerel weighs 6 3/4 ounces. A regular-sized packing peanut weighs 11 3/8 ounces. They're all a month old tomorrow.

So the runt is TINY!

 

[jossanne]

The runt seems to be falling further behind the bantam cochins in size and feathering. Here he is with a same-age bantam cockerel this morning. They were 6 weeks old yesterday. He seems healthy and energetic, just not growing much. I wish he was a bantam BR... it would be a GREAT boo boo for the hatchery to make to send one of those as a packing peanut. But I'm sure I'm not that lucky.

 

[walkswithdog]

I've had three runts in these two groups. Runs Like Nutcase is still small and slow to feather but otherwise healthy. Tuchas has actually gotten closer to the smaller cockerals in size, he just isn't as big as the large birds. And Ponder my lone BR is still small but growing steadily now.

Little for their breed birds is how you start making bantams. As long as yours eats, feathers out well in the end and thrives, size isn't a big thing. LOL especially if you'd LIKE a bantam.

Not eating well, not foraging, not active etc. is totally different.

My first group of PRs were all male and all stunted and all off. I got rid of the lot. This last group is much more normal.

Keep an eye out, but often they do very very well.