SOME PIG (errr.... chicken)

[SandraMort]

Scrawny Poet has been smaller than his brethren since we opened the box at 1 day old. He was rumpled and thin looking and 2 weeks later, still looks scrawny and messy-feathered. Now, though, his head comes up to the middle of the chest of his fatter brothers.

I can't bring myself to cull him for just being little, since he eats and drinks just fine, despite having to compete with 96 full sized birds, but if the dude turns out to be male, I don't know WHAT to do with him. If he's a girl, I can use him as a layer, even if he's only a mediocre one, but I just don't need another roo around.

I'll try to get a picture of him up later today. He's so pitiful looking.

 

[Chickenaddict]

I had 2 runts in my last batch of brown/red cochin bantams, one male, one female. Both feathered out really slow and were half the size of the rest altho they were all the same age but WOW you should see them now!!! They ended up having the best coloring of all.

 

[SandraMort]

So... other than being small, why do his feathers always look messed up?

 

[Cetawin]

messed up how? could it be a frizzle? Some chickens naturally have feathers that curl outward and so forth.

get a pic of and post of little one.

 

[SandraMort]

A frizzle freedom ranger? Neat idea. I'll get to the barn after the baby falls asleep. She's teething and in a MOOD.

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[SandraMort]

I tried to take pics but despite my multiple requests to the Powers that Be, I have only been Blessed with 2 hands. Soooo, taking pics isn't easy.

His feathers are all rumpled, almost damp looking, and with bare spots. The spots might have been from featherpicking but the rest has always been like that since he came out of the box two weeks ago, even while isolated.

And here's a photo of him with one of the others, not very good, I'm afraid, because holding two in one hand sorta smooshes them.

I guess you get the idea.

 

[silkiechicken]

Maybe it's an extra that got thrown in or one who fell out of a standard/banty box and into your meat box? Else, it's just a runt, since most meat birds are mixes and parent strains can be pretty line bred.

 

[SandraMort]

No, I asked, there's no way for him to be something else. He's just a runt.

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[Cetawin]

As long as eating and everything good I would let it be. If it starts acting sick or something then I would cull it.

 

[SandraMort]

Yeah. We pulled him aside when he was getting picked on, gave him a couple of days to get his act together, then put him back and he's doing just fine. He darts between the big fat ones and gets to food they can't!