Runt silkie chick - how can I help him/her?

[Gilded Feather]

So I received an order of 18 beautiful silkie babies 2 weeks ago. One out of the bunch had a mild splay leg which I corrected the best I could within the first week with the recommended hair tie and straw brace for 4 days. The whole time this chick ate and drank well and showed no sign of giving up.

Fast forward to today and this same baby is still eating and drinking well, getting around well on its own but is HALF the size of its brooder mates. While most of the chicks are jumping, flapping their wings and racing around, this particular chick just doesn’t seem to have the same amount of energy as the others. I have yet to see it jump and flap its wings. It can run pretty well when startled, although in a bit of a stiff legged manner. It seems to have a good appetite and drinks from the waterer on its own. It can scratch its face, balance on one leg and stretch the other behind it (sometimes a bit wobbly), preen itself and bully it’s way into the middle of the group to get warm or fight for food. It has had pasty butt on and off since I first received it but I’ve been diligent on keeping its behind clean. It’s poop looks normal otherwise.

So, is this something I am right to be concerned about? Is there anything extra I should be offering it to help it gain some more strength and energy? What about something to help it catch up in size? I’m just concerned this poor little thing is lacking something it desperately needs and I want to help give it an even better fighting chance. It has fought so hard already, I don’t want to let it down and have it slip away if I can help it.

I’m currently feeding Triple Trust medicated chick starter/grower which is a minimum of 18% protein. I plan on picking up some nutridrench this weekend when I can get to the feed store. Is there anything else I should look into trying? I’m open to all suggestions!

 

[EggSighted4Life]

I’m currently feeding Triple Trust medicated chick starter/grower which is a minimum of 18% protein.

Higher protein feed might help. Most chick starter is around 22% And I resent that they even sell 18% as a starter.

Sounds like SHE will be fine.

Scrambled egg treat is a nutritious snack loaded with vitamin and minerals. Only on occasion since they are a great source of protein at 34%, but 64% fat... noting half the protein and a lot of the micro nutrients are found IN the yolk.

 

[Oncoming Storm]

Just make sure and watch her booty, sometimes medicated feed can clog the valve which can be very serious and annoying to treat (believe me). But yeah if she’s not having any strange behaviors I think she just needs protein and time. The runts are always the sweetest.

 

[TashaFrancois]

She can live a happy life. I have a blue Swedish duck that I swear has dwarfism and she does fine.

 

[Oncoming Storm]

She can live a happy life. I have a blue Swedish duck that I swear has dwarfism and she does fine.

I had a polish girl who was half the size of her other chicks since she was a lot younger so she was a runt. I had her in solitary to keep her safe since she couldn’t get food, but her solitary was inside a larger chick pen full of older meat birds and shes jump out and jump on top of the birds to get to the food. Her name was Queen for a reason XD.

 

[Gilded Feather]

Higher protein feed might help. Most chick starter is around 22% And I resent that they even sell 18% as a starter.

Sounds like SHE will be fine.

Scrambled egg treat is a nutritious snack loaded with vitamin and minerals. Only on occasion since they are a great source of protein at 34%, but 64% fat... noting half the protein and a lot of the micro nutrients are found IN the yolk.

It is disheartening to hear the feed I picked up recently is so low in protein. I was feeding Purina but it’s protein is essentially the same now that I looked it up and compared it online. I know silkies need a bit extra to grow those gorgeous feathers we all love and adore so I will definitely look into grabbing a higher protein bag of starter once this one is gone. Would 24% be too high?

Is it possible for me to perhaps pick up a bag of manna pro calf manna and mix it into the bag of feed I have now in order to up the protein until I can get another bag of better feed? Or is that not a wise idea for chicks?

I will definitely jump on scrambling some eggs for them as a treat though! Thank you for the suggestion!

 

[Gilded Feather]

Just make sure and watch her booty, sometimes medicated feed can clog the valve which can be very serious and annoying to treat (believe me). But yeah if she’s not having any strange behaviors I think she just needs protein and time. The runts are always the sweetest.

Oh believe me, I’m keeping an eye on it. I’m pretty sure she dreads seeing me come into the coop because the first thing I do is scoop her up to look her over. Lol but they are the sweetest, aren’t they? She just is so calm and gentle. But thank you for the kind words and wisdom. I will definitely look into getting some more protein into her one way or another. Would adding calf manna to her feed be a good idea do you think? I will provide scrambled eggs here and there as a treat but I sure do want her every day feed to have more protein in it, especially since she has all day access to it.

 

[Gilded Feather]

She can live a happy life. I have a blue Swedish duck that I swear has dwarfism and she does fine.

Oh good! That sure does make me feel better to hear.

 

[Oncoming Storm]

I use tucker milling gmo free feed now, all my babies have done really well on it and it’s only 18%. I can’t find a lot of higher protein chick starters. You might be able to use grower feed just for a little while since the protein ratios are different.

 

[Gilded Feather]

I had a polish girl who was half the size of her other chicks since she was a lot younger so she was a runt. I had her in solitary to keep her safe since she couldn’t get food, but her solitary was inside a larger chick pen full of older meat birds and shes jump out and jump on top of the birds to get to the food. Her name was Queen for a reason XD.

Lol! She sure sounds like a queen! A very proper name if I do say so myself. That is like my little one. She may not flounce and flit about like the others but she sure won’t be pushed away from getting to her fair share of the feed.