Teeny tiny chick. Is it a runt, a dwarf, or just adorable?

[machinfarm]

atched 15 chicks from my buff Orpington flock on Saturday, Feb 20th. One needed a rescue because I shrink wrapped him accidentally when my hygrometer started falsely reading 95% and I tried to get rid of some of the not-actually-high humidity (Lesson learned). The chick I saved was the last to be hatched and he seemed weak from the struggle so I kept him seperate in the brooder while he gained his strength. At two days I moved him in with the others and realized that he was TINY. Only about 2/3 or so the size of the others. Even his wings are teeny tiny, half the size of his siblings.
We just had six more hatch yesterday and this morning and once they were all out and fluffy I moved them in with the others and realized even the newly hatched chicks are larger than this now 6 day old chick.
He seems healthy and active, holds his own with the others perfectly fine, in fact is a little bullish. The only difference is he's miniature and he peeps the loudest and most (so I named him Chicken Little).
Someone asked me if its a bantam, but that's not how it works right? He came from full size orpingtons and a regular sized egg. Can chickens have dwarfism? I read about dwarfism in broilers but read it's not apparant immediately, only after a few weeks.
Is he a runt? What's his deal? He's cuter than a bug's ear though.

Hatch mates' wings.

Chicken Little's wing.

Him and his hatch mates.

Same age hatch mates.

Six day old Chicken Little at top and three hour old chick at the bottom.

 

[ShanandGem]

Runt, dwarf, doesn't matter because he is the cutest thing I have ever seen! If he seems to be thriving I would just love him for the unique little fella he is. I would love it if you would keep us updated on his development and whether he stays little or not.

 

[machinfarm]

Runt, dwarf, doesn't matter because he is the cutest thing I have ever seen! If he seems to be thriving I would just love him for the unique little fella he is.  I would love it if you would keep us updated on his development and whether he stays little or not.

Sure! I hope he thrives, my son is getting really attached.

 

[realsis]

wow he/she sure is cute! just a perfect teeny tiny version of the others! Not sure what the exact name for it would be but it's absolutely the most precious thing I've every seen!♡♡♡♡♡

 

[machinfarm]

Thanks! I just know that usually when something is different than the norm, there's a reason for it. I'm bracing myself that it might not make it but gosh I hope it does! My mom said we should use it to come up with a new breed called Machin Minis. Ha!

 

[alyssaallycat]

Subscribing for hopefully being update on this chicks development! That is the most adorable little thing I have ever seen!

 

[azygous]

It's a cutie, all right. It reminds me of those marshmallow peeps you can buy around Easter.

Tiny chicks like that could have genetic defects that hinder development, though. Your chick may have minimal problems and will just be a small adult. Let's keep our fingers crossed that it will grow up and be normal, just small.

 

[machinfarm]

It's a cutie, all right. It reminds me of those marshmallow peeps you can buy around Easter.

Tiny chicks like that could have genetic defects that hinder development, though. Your chick may have minimal problems and will just be a small adult. Let's keep our fingers crossed that it will grow up and be normal, just small.

I think you are probably right about that. As I said, I assisted him in hatching because he was shrink wrapped but maybe he was not going to hatch on his own anyway, that's the trouble with assisting I guess. But again he (I have no idea if it's a boy or not, but I have two sons so every baby is a boy to me!) is active and strong so far, and his size isn't posing problems thus far between he and the others. When everyone is eating he just wedges his way right in there.
Well, I guess we'll see!

 

[machinfarm]

I notice too that he's not as yellow or buff colored as the rest, he's very light yellow. if I did t get these eggs from my own backyard and from a fully enclosed coop and run, I'd imagine this was a different kind of chicken all together!

 

[theoldchick]

I can't wait to see what this chick grows up to be.