Runt at 3 weeks, any tips?

[drewsk]

I picked up 5 chicks (hatched about 3 weeks ago) and I had 1 pass away within 2 days of arriving, which I attributed to either illness or the stress of shipping. The others seemed alright and I supplement with nutri-drench on most days, however - 1 of the remaining chicks has been growing much slower than the others. At this point I'd say she's about half their size and just beyond the usual 1-week markers.

The smaller one is a buff orpington, the others are a Rhode Island Red, red sex link, and a blue copper marans. So far the other chicks are not picking on the little one, but as their rowdiness increases I'm getting nervous that the little one might get accidentally injured.

Does anyone have any suggestions for helping a runt catch up or even just staying healthy? I'm trying to prepare myself that she might just not have it in her to get full size at this point, but I also want to do what I can since its only been a few weeks so far.

https://imgur.com/6sIuCoR

https://imgur.com/WjCnpp6

https://imgur.com/5ZKKS8g

 

[drewsk]

Unfortunately, she stopped eating well a few days ago (crop wasn’t full when I checked on her in the evening and afternoon) and wasn’t keeping herself warm by going under the heat plate in the coop which resulted in her passing overnight. She was about the size of 2-3 weeks at nearly 7 weeks.

 

[rosemarythyme]

As long as she can eat and drink without issue then you're providing her with all she needs. Assuming it's not failure to thrive she might eventually catch up or remain a bit runty.

 

[thecatumbrella]

Oh my! She is very tiny. Have you observed them for a bit to see if she's eating enough? Mine had trouble with the size of the chick feed, and running it through a food processor helped them get that extra nutrition. Hopefully someone more knowledgeable can chime in.