What to do with a 5 week 'failure to thrive' chick among 3 thriving ones

[Edonthehill]

Hi yes she grew very big it just took her a while to get bigger but in my experience some chicks take longer to grow and when they do grow, their bigger than the rest of the chickens. If she's eating and playing and acting normal then she's just a runt she's not a failure to thrive.

That makes me feel better. Before i knew the term “failure to thrive”….i got all butt hurt that someone used those words since I’ve gotten attached to the little one. But now i know it’s a technical term haha. Thank you for taking the time to respond. She is playing, eating, and drinking with the rest of them. And none of them pick on her. Yay

 

[P_Dub]

Reviving an old thread here... same issue...

I have two chicks who are about 3 weeks old -- one is growing like gangbusters (9.7 oz yesterday) but the other is small, sleepy, and only weighs 4.4 oz. They were about the same size when I brought them home 2-1/2 wks ago, but the size difference now is dramatic. Bigger is an "easter egger" (named Taco) and the smaller was sold as a buff Orpington, but is clearly an Ameraucana (muttonchops & green legs; named Ethel). Right after I got them, the smaller one was having trouble, and I finally figured out that she had not learned to drink, so once I made sure she understood the water, she was doing fine.
Both would run around, eat, climb on me when I took them out, etc. Normal poop, the smaller one's poop was a bit wetter, though not liquid.

Yesterday, Ethel's left leg seemed hurt: she could stand and walk, but preferred not to, and would "collapse" to the left as she sat. Today when I took them out of their brooder, she was kind of floppy. She did not move her legs at all. She did flap a bit at first, but has essentially been sitting on me without moving (wrapped in a towel) for the last 2 or so hours. I have been trying to get her to take liquids (water w/electrolytes & vitamins) but she's not very interested. I did get her to eat a couple bits of egg, but she's been refusing it since. I don't think she's eaten since yesterday -- no poop since I've been holding her.

<<sigh>> I already lost one little chick this spring, and if I lose this one, the other will be lonely! I've got 2 girls outside who are 7 years old, but I wanted Taco (the easter egger) to have her own pal...

I've read a bunch of "failure to thrive" threads -- it sounds like if Ethel has coccidiosis then Taco would also have it. I've been doing everything else that has been mentioned, but just wondered if there were any other suggestions anyone has come up with...

Thanks! [glad to be back on the site. Had to re-register, which is why this appears to be my first post.]

 

[steenie]

Hi,

5 week old chick very small and very sleepy looking. Have tried corid, egg, honey, probiotics, nutridrench. Just wondering if anyone's mini chick actually ended up growing and if so at how many weeks old? Thanks

 

[Scallykat92]

Hi,

5 week old chick very small and very sleepy looking. Have tried corid, egg, honey, probiotics, nutridrench. Just wondering if anyone's mini chick actually ended up growing and if so at how many weeks old? Thanks

Hello,

It’s now December 2023 haha wow what a long thread.

I got some chicks in July that were a week old. chocolate laced Orpington. same thing with her. She only grew feathers on her wings for the longest time. All her hatch mates and other chicks the same age were fully feathered and she was still a tiny fluff ball. Wasn’t a big deal at the time since it was mid summer, I let her out with all the other birds. She did well. She never did grow. She got all her feathers but her body stayed tiny. She acted normal most of the time but I often found her sitting alone with her eyes closed. She just passed today, at 6 months old. I’m not really sure how she died. She was okay in the morning. I went to collect eggs and she was dead on the coop floor. I am suspicious that the rooster may have broken her neck. He started mounting her recently and she is just much too small for him. There was some feathers in the floor beside her. I was always curious of why she was so different and if it was failure to thrive or not. I’m sad she made it this far just to be taking out due to her size and some jack ass rooster.