Will a dwarf chicken have issues later on? *Photo included*

[festivefeet]

I am told that my chick my be a dwarf chick. She has been smaller and way behind in growth. Her eyes are very small. Both of these are Buff Orpington Pullets.

Any opinions?

Will this cause issues for her later on when she is full grown?

What about egg production?

Jessica

 

[jbowyer01]

Sorry I cant help you with your questions but I had to say that your chicks are very cute!

 

[Wynette]

Is it possible that you have a cockerel & a pullet? That would make sense at to why one is larger than the other...I'm unfamiliar with Orpintons to know. She doens't look "that" much smaller than the other to me...

 

[speckledhen]

Doesnt look like a dwarf to me. Steffpeck has a dwarf BR cockerel whose legs are about half the length they should be. If you do a search for 'Midgie' with her as the author, you'll see the difference. His comb never developed, either. Yours may be a runt or a petite pullet.

 

[festivefeet]

What about her eyes though, they are so tiny....all the rest of my chicks' eyes are wide open. I can't even see the pupil her eyes are so tiny.

 

[festivefeet]

If she is a runt or petite pullet, will that cause any health issues or egg laying issues?

 

[columbiacritter]

Only time will tell on that one. If her energy levelis as high as the others, she's eating, pooing an dnapping well then you might just have a small bird. If she's showing signs of lethargy or other issues then yeah, you're goignto have problems.

If she was mine I'd give her a little extra attention to make sure she gets her share of chow and let her be.

 

[festivefeet]

Trust me, she's had tons of attention. I posted earlier about the foot issue (yellow scabbing) that she had. The entire flock is now on vitamin supplements and antibiotics. It has improved a bit, so that is good....but because of that, she has had a lot of extra tlc.

She is also eating and drinking. She does sleep more than most and also seems to want to be in the heat more than the others....but other than that, she is eating, drinking and pooing just fine.

Jessica

 

[ThePolishPrincess]

My Silkie hen is a runt. She is very healthy and is actually more lively than some of my other girls. However, she is notorious for her soft-shelled and mal-formed eggs, sometimes she lays none at all in a week. Or she lays them with no shell that can be automatically eaten by another hen. She is two years old and acts like any normal hen.

 

[gritsar]

My hen that is the size of a bantam brahma compared to her LF brahma sisters and is half blind does just fine. She needed a little extra TLC as a baby, but does great now. Only thing I do for her still is to put her on the roost at night. I know she can do it herself, but I've always done it for her.

Actually although she looks much smaller, she weighs more than some of her sisters. Her crop is always so full in the evening it's a wonder she can balance herself upright.