Runt chick- not thriving

[ChickenMom04]

Hello! I have 3 EE chicks, all around 2 months old. They were 4 weeks old when we got them because they were the only ones left over in the feed store. One of them has always been small and it didn't seem abnormal at first since size varies from male to female, and it wasn't super noticeable. As they've grown and become more active, running and jumping around their pen, I've noticed she always holds back. She's eating and drinking fine although she's slightly thinner than the other two. Because of her size, she's at the bottom of the pecking order and sometimes the other chicks will step on her when she's sitting. She stands more fluffed up, sits a lot, and doesn't seem too balanced. I feel bad not knowing how I can help her become stronger. she's still eating and peeping like a normal chick but seems weak. anything I can do??

 

[ChickenMom04]

Here's a picture of her for reference:

 

[Peaches Lee]

She doesn't look too bad, but I can see what you mean. She may just have failure to thrive. I don't think she would be happy if you separated her to streamline some TLC--it would probably stress her. Just as long as she keeps eating and drinking (maybe add some more goodies like scrambled or hard boiled egg, plain yogurt, or mealworm treats). Maybe it's just a wait and see game now. Good luck to you and her!

 

[DouglasB]

mix up some sav-a-chic with an egg stirred in. Put some in a spoon, dip her beak in it so she drinks it. Do it for a few days until she drinks it on her own. Feed her away from the more dominate birds who are probably preventing her from getting the nutrition she needs.

 

[ChickenMom04]

Thanks! A little update this morning, she's a little more tired but that might just be because all the chicks were asleep prior to me coming in the pen. I have some electrolytes and probiotic that I'll give to her later this afternoon. It's been 30 degrees the past few days so I have a heat lamp on her and lots of fluffy straw for her to nest in. Maybe I'm just paranoid because I had a lethargic duck a few months ago and a day later she passed away. Hopefully this little chick will start growing and be fine. Thanks for you guy's help!

 

[KaleoKolea]

We had a similar situation in a batch of chicks we purchased from a breeder. The older they got, the more obvious it was that she was a little "off." She didn't come when called with the rest of them, and didn't seem to be a great forager out in the yard. She also struggled to figure out how to get back into the coop each night. We named her Caboose.

She eventually got to the point where she just sat, huddled, under the coop, crying, so we brought her in the house. She was exhausted and exceptionally needy. We ended up lightly swaddling her just to get her to sleep at night.

It was a struggle to get her to eat, she wasn't interested in chicken food. I make chop for my parrot, and she LOVED that, as well as a wide range of healthy people foods.

After she started to perk up, we started sending her outside after breakfast, and letting her in at night for dinner and to sleep in a carrier.

After a few weeks she started spending more time outside and sometimes not even opting to come back in at night.

It's been about 3 months now and she's fully integrated back into the flock. She's still smaller than the rest and a little slow, but she can hold her own. Sometimes the extra TLC is what they need.

 

[ChickenMom04]

We had a similar situation in a batch of chicks we purchased from a breeder. The older they got, the more obvious it was that she was a little "off." She didn't come when called with the rest of them, and didn't seem to be a great forager out in the yard. She also struggled to figure out how to get back into the coop each night. We named her Caboose.
View attachment 2452466

She eventually got to the point where she just sat, huddled, under the coop, crying, so we brought her in the house. She was exhausted and exceptionally needy. We ended up lightly swaddling her just to get her to sleep at night.

It was a struggle to get her to eat, she wasn't interested in chicken food. I make chop for my parrot, and she LOVED that, as well as a wide range of healthy people foods.

View attachment 2452498
After she started to perk up, we started sending her outside after breakfast, and letting her in at night for dinner and to sleep in a carrier.

After a few weeks she started spending more time outside and sometimes not even opting to come back in at night.

It's been about 3 months now and she's fully integrated back into the flock. She's still smaller than the rest and a little slow, but she can hold her own. Sometimes the extra TLC is what they need.

She's adorable! thanks for the success story, I'm hoping mine (Queso is her name) will get back to normal soon.