Stunted/dwarf/runt chick?

[Farmgirl283420]

I’m going to use this thread for documenting the growth/status of this baffling mini-chicken.

Mini-Mini is now 8 weeks old (I checked her exact hatch date and wow…can’t believe it) She is maybe the size of a 1 week old, but going strong. She spends all day outside in the run doing chicken things all day, still eats, drinks, poops normally, goes to bed with a full crop, etc. She even makes it up to the perches in the coop! Feathering out is taking forever, and she looks scruffy and minuscule compared to her hatchmates. None of the other chicks pick on her, but they get excited about breakfast and can step on her sometimes.

Here she is (8 weeks) next to a 6 week old marans mix cockerel!

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And here she is next to her sister/hatchmate
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I’m so excited to o follow along and watch her grow! Mini is super cute and sweet looking! I wonder what her eggs will look like?

 

[Kwoka]

I’m so excited to o follow along and watch her grow! Mini is super cute and sweet looking! I wonder what her eggs will look like?

Well, she’s Araucana/Olive Egger mix, so she’ll maybe lay a mint-green egg? If she even sexually matures at all because at this rate…idk if her body will even have space to make eggs? Maybe she will grow to the size of say, a quail (or even a button quail) and THEN start laying tiny quail-size eggs. Who knows… I can’t find any information about dwarf chickens that have dwarfism to this degree, but I’m going to keep looking for info.

 

[Farmgirl283420]

Well, she’s Araucana/Olive Egger mix, so she’ll maybe lay a mint-green egg? If she even sexually matures at all because at this rate…idk if her body will even have space to make eggs? Maybe she will grow to the size of say, a quail (or even a button quail) and THEN start laying tiny quail-size eggs. Who knows… I can’t find any information about dwarf chickens that have dwarfism to this degree, but I’m going to keep looking for info.

Maybe the eggs will be the size of a dime?! This is the tiniest egg I have ever gotten!

 

[Farmgirl283420]

Do you have anymore pictures of her? She is sooo cute!

 

[Kwoka]

Do you have anymore pictures of her? She is sooo cute!

I snapped a couple pics before closing the coop for the night. She’s just pretty scruffy compared to a normal chick - she hasn’t been molting the chick down and those very first real feathers like a normal 8 week old chick would. Her face also seems a little ”off” imo like eye proportion isn’t the usual. I can’t believe an 8 week old chick fits into my palm. Also, she still makes the tiniest little peep/squeak you can imagine! That’s how I can find her in the bushes

 

[WoDia]

She’s precious. Since she is soooo tiny compared to all of the others, monitor her VERY closely. I don’t mean to be the “downer” of the group, but she COULD be easily trampled or smothered. Monitor for any possible health issues as well. My concern for your tiny one comes from experience of my own… I recently had a King quail hatch that was EXTREMELY tiny compared to his hatch mates (just a little bigger than one of my budgie hatchlings), so I raised him up with 1 hatch mate. I honestly didn’t expect him to survive his first few days, but he’s now doing terrific. I monitored him constantly during the first several weeks. Finally, I moved him with his siblings once he fully feathered (that took a long time) and grew enough to calm my worries. He’s STILL the tiniest of the bunch. I hope you continue to update.

 

[Farmgirl283420]

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I snapped a couple pics before closing the coop for the night. She’s just pretty scruffy compared to a normal chick - she hasn’t been molting the chick down and those very first real feathers like a normal 8 week old chick would. Her face also seems a little ”off” imo like eye proportion isn’t the usual. I can’t believe an 8 week old chick fits into my palm. Also, she still makes the tiniest little peep/squeak you can imagine! That’s how I can find her in the bushes

she’s so cute and the more I know about her the more I love her! What an interesting little chicken!

 

[Farmgirl283420]

She’s precious. Since she is soooo tiny compared to all of the others, monitor her VERY closely. I don’t mean to be the “downer” of the group, but she COULD be easily trampled or smothered. Monitor for any possible health issues as well. My concern for your tiny one comes from experience of my own… I recently had a King quail hatch that was EXTREMELY tiny compared to his hatch mates (just a little bigger than one of my budgie hatchlings), so I raised him up with 1 hatch mate. I honestly didn’t expect him to survive his first few days, but he’s now doing terrific. I monitored him constantly during the first several weeks. Finally, I moved him with his siblings once he fully feathered (that took a long time) and grew enough to calm my worries. He’s STILL the tiniest of the bunch. I hope you continue to update.

Do you have any pictures?!

 

[WoDia]

Do you have any pictures?!

Here he is with his hatch mate.

 

[Kwoka]

Mini-Mini update at 10 weeks: still strong and small as ever, possibly the fastest chick in the grow out pen. She sleeps on the roost and will fly out of my hand while I’m standing! Here she is with her “sister” Bluey, same age.