What are chances of tiny chick eventually being accepted.

[WyoChickenFan]

I ordered chicks through the mail and lost 17 of the 43 shipped-some before arrival and the others the first few days after arrival. I had to twice clean the rear of one chick. The other surviving chicks have been totally healthy. The little chick whose backside I cleaned never did seem sick but it just hasn’t grown like the other chicks. I removed it and the next smallest chick to a separate brooder about ten days after arrival-just because it seemed to be getting knocked around by the larger chicks. Now I’m wondering how likely the other chicks will be to ever accept the small chick. I’m optimistic about the “buddy“ chick being accepted. I had all chicks in house for a short time but moved all but the the two outside to a coop. I want to get the remaining two out to coop in a smaller, separate place in the middle of the other chicks. The tiny chick has begun growing feathers, is lively and appears strong and healthy. What are others’ experience in integrating a single, tiny chick into several other chicks that are all much larger? The chicks were hatched May 4. Any advice? All the chicks should mature to a similar size. I got Buckeye, Black Australorp, Blue Orpington, Coronation Sussex and as a surprise from hatchery, Black Java.

 

[Rhodebar Lover]

I'm guessing it has failure to thrive :/ I will hope for your sake that it's just very slow to mature but I wouldn't make an drastic changes to help it because it's very common for these runt chicks to die on their own at some point By any chance is your slow to mature chick the Java? They're known to be inbred and when I raised them I had a runt who eventually passed away from failure to thrive as well

 

[WyoChickenFan]

I'm guessing it has failure to thrive :/ I will hope for your sake that it's just very slow to mature but I wouldn't make an drastic changes to help it because it's very common for these runt chicks to die on their own at some point By any chance is your slow to mature chick the Java? They're known to be inbred and when I raised them I had a runt who eventually passed away from failure to thrive as well

I don’t know if it is a Java. When I searched for baby chick photos of my breeds, I wasn’t able to determine much difference between Black Australorp and Black Java but it must be one of the two. Thanks for the reply. I’m afraid that it might be failure to thrive but trying to be optimistic because it seems so healthy at this point.

 

[ChickNanny13]

I had 11 chicks (half of a friend's order) that I raised ... I had 6 WTB, 2 Leghorn, 2 Black Stars & 1 black chick. Noticed the black chick was not feathering like the rest ... While the brood started feathering the black chick was all down feathering until it finally started with odd growth. Eventually at about 6wks it caught up with feathering and size, it's a Black Star. Pic 1 & Pic 2
Pic 3 My friend sent me this pic of one of her chicks (BS), it's not the slow feathering one as I kept her & she's normal sized. Wondering if it's a bantam although I don't think there are BS bantams from McMurray. We're waiting & hoping her eggs are "smaller" too.

Your smaller chick may just be a slow starter/late bloomer. I'm sure it'll be fine, however intertgration maybe tricky with a single chick. If it's got a buddy or two, it would be easier on you ... You could also put the single chick in a wire cage with food & water, put the cage in with the rest, they'll become accustomed to each other.

 

[WyoChickenFan]

I had 11 chicks (half of a friend's order) that I raised ... I had 6 WTB, 2 Leghorn, 2 Black Stars & 1 black chick. Noticed the black chick was not feathering like the rest ... While the brood started feathering the black chick was all down feathering until it finally started with odd growth. Eventually at about 6wks it caught up with feathering and size, it's a Black Star. Pic 1 & Pic 2
Pic 3 My friend sent me this pic of one of her chicks (BS), it's not the slow feathering one as I kept her & she's normal sized. Wondering if it's a bantam although I don't think there are BS bantams from McMurray. We're waiting & hoping her eggs are "smaller" too.

Your smaller chick may just be a slow starter/late bloomer. I'm sure it'll be fine, however intertgration maybe tricky with a single chick. If it's got a buddy or two, it would be easier on you ... You could also put the single chick in a wire cage with food & water, put the cage in with the rest, they'll become accustomed to each other.


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Your situation seems similar to mine. I have decided that I’m going to move the tiny chick and its buddy out to coop today. My coop is only 8’ x 10’ and the rowdy other 23 chicks are in there. I’ll try using the 48” octagon dog kennel with a lid. As you can see in photo, the kennel doesn’t offer real good visibility but I think It will work until I can fashion a better wire pen. The chicks still need their heat plates so that is a challenge along with the shavings I’ve put down to hopefully begin deep litter method in coop. I had a coop built a few years ago but haven’t been able to get chicks until this year. The dust in the house from just two chicks is more than I need and it’s time to socialize the two separated chicks back in. Thanks for sharing your thoughts and photos . I have a plan now.

 

[ChickNanny13]

You got a plan and I agree about the 'dust'

 

[Bananer86]

Your situation seems similar to mine. I have decided that I’m going to move the tiny chick and its buddy out to coop today. My coop is only 8’ x 10’ and the rowdy other 23 chicks are in there. I’ll try using the 48” octagon dog kennel with a lid. As you can see in photo, the kennel doesn’t offer real good visibility but I think It will work until I can fashion a better wire pen. The chicks still need their heat plates so that is a challenge along with the shavings I’ve put down to hopefully begin deep litter method in coop. I had a coop built a few years ago but haven’t been able to get chicks until this year. The dust in the house from just two chicks is more than I need and it’s time to socialize the two separated chicks back in. Thanks for sharing your thoughts and photos . I have a plan now.

How has it been going? I had 2 that were a week behind my bigger trio. I’m still concerned about my 7 week old being a little smaller & just feathering out but the bigger trio haven’t had any issues to the reunion a couple weeks ago. During the extra time I kept the smaller 2 inside I took them to the run for supervised socialization at least once a day. My 8 week old Black Copper Maran pullet was a little bully towards the smaller 7 week old at first but gently separating the 2 a few times or picking the little up seemed to correct the behavior. After being together during the day & only bringing the littles in at night (gradual increase in time together) for about a week the littles decided they were ready to stay out. We did our normal routine one evening & brought the littles in & they just were not having it. They chirped & screeched like they were being murdered. As soon as we stepped back outside with them they settled down. Since being reunited the BCM pullet (8 wk) & roo (7 wk) seem to have paired up now & the little follows our 8 wk old Orpington roo around.

My next task is integrating 4 Ameraucana chicks. They’re only 1 week right now so they still have some time but at the moment my OCs (original chicks) do not like the babies at all.

 

[WyoChickenFan]

Tiny chicken thrives and is catching up! She’s (I think she’s a pullet) shown here with her brooder mate. They are three months now. The brooder mate is the only wild one of my 25 chicks. I’ve given away all but two of what I believe to be cockerels and this psycho (I think a cockerel) brooder mate. He’s her protector and her bully. They’re a separate unit within the little flock. So glad the tiny is now not so tiny.