I have a Delaware that has the same problem. Her Flock mate the same age is an EE and is filling out nicely. But the Delaware is stunted, goes to bed with barely anyting in her crop. Now she is partially blind in one eye from a fight with one of the big chooks, but hangs with her EE flockmate all day. I am begniing to think that EE eats all her food, but I see the Delaware eating, just very little. When we had grapes earlier in the Summer she ate them like a kid in a candy store. But she dropped from 2.5 pounds to barely 1.5 and it freaked me out. She doesn't like the scratch and peck grower much, but does like crumbles and I got some, they only had medicated so I keep it for her in isolation, but now she isn't budging. Freaked me out so much, I started soaking it in water, adding apple, a bit of molasses, pinch of chicken vitamin powder, peanut butter, brewers yeast (just in case its worms), flax seed and yogurt.
I gave her six 5 ml syringes at breakfast and the same before bed. She likes the taste, but hates the syringe process. But won't eat more than a tsp if let to her own devices. We tried that and no weight gain. After doing the syringe method, she has put on a 1/2 pound and is almost 2 pounds. Her comb started growing and he body is lengthening, she has more energy and fights back more too. Going to move to every other day as soon as we get back to 2.5 pounds. She was hatched 4/7 and is the smallest gal we got and lowest on the pecking order as well. I hope that she continues to grow and pack on the poundage, because I don't want to force feed her forever. She acts like a growing kid and looks for a place to nap while she digests and grows for a few hours, then continues foraging. But I am concerned, not a fan of watching anything waste away if I can help it. My Mom nursed a cat back from the brink before using the same method and after a while she got the hint. Hope Ashoka does too.
Also have a Blue Laced Red Wynandotte 6 months old with a beak injury that I have put back together with help from the chicken chick: diluted bentadine, tiny pieces of tea bags, crazy glue, liquid bandages and nail polish. It is holding well for the past week and a half, but she has also lost a pound due to it hurting too much to eat. She isn't yet laying, but I am also syringe feeding her 2x/day (same mix as above) until she starts eating more on her own. Chicken Chick's beak repair page said her birds took 6 weeks to heal. Padmé forages and uses her beak, (it is dirty) but it doesn't seem to be sharp or nimble enough as it used to be. She doesn't seem ready to hone it on a stone just yet, must hurt. Fingers crossed.
Advice is welcome.
