Very Tiny 2 Week Baby Chick. Is this normal?

[emmsx3]

I have a 2 week old baby chick who is SUPER tiny. Her brother and sister are also 2 weeks just a day apart but they are growing normally. Her wings are so tiny with no feathers yet. She has troubling eating her food (chick starter) and trouble swallowing (only one piece of food at a time). I do try to wet the crumbles but she doesn't like it, she likes it dry and will only pick out the big pieces. After she eats 2 or 4 pieces she runs back under the heating plate and sleeps. However she can drink fine. I'm not sure if she will even make it but she made it this far. I have never seen a baby chick so tiny like this before and I'm wondering if this is normal? I don't know if she's getting the proper nutrition she needs to help her grow. Please help!

Pictures are inserted below to show size difference. Also note, they are all 2 weeks old!

 

[Mylied]

Is it a bantam maybe? They are pretty small compared to standard chicks.

 

[MysteryChicken]

I have a 2 week old baby chick who is SUPER tiny. Her brother and sister are also 2 weeks just a day apart but they are growing normally. Her wings are so tiny with no feathers yet. She has troubling eating her food (chick starter) and trouble swallowing (only one piece of food at a time). I do try to wet the crumbles but she doesn't like it, she likes it dry and will only pick out the big pieces. After she eats 2 or 4 pieces she runs back under the heating plate and sleeps. However she can drink fine. I'm not sure if she will even make it but she made it this far. I have never seen a baby chick so tiny like this before and I'm wondering if this is normal? I don't know if she's getting the proper nutrition she needs to help her grow. Please help!

Pictures are inserted below to show size difference. Also note, they are all 2 weeks old!

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She's a runt. Try adding vitamins to her water? Breaking the food up into smaller crumbs might help out too.

 

[sunrise.superman]

I have a little Delaware from this past May that I got along with 5 other chicks from the same shipment and they all looked the same age...within days of each other. She was teeeeeeny, 1/3 the size of the others at best all through the summer, took forever to feather out, but she ate and drank well and kept up with the others to compete for food. Now she's as big as the others and nearly as big as my 18 mo old Delaware so she caught up in the end. I gave her Nutridrench daily for a couple of weeks and then a few times per week after that until her feathers came in more. Corrid for all once they were ranging in their own little space in the yard.

 

[sourland]

Some chicks just exhibit failure to thrive. Sometimes they slowly fade away, and other times they get a spurt and catch up to their hatch mates. Hopefully the chick is from the latter group.

 

[EggWalrus]

If she is eating, and pooping, I'd just see how she grows. You might wanna try to mix some NutriDrench in with the baby feed. She might just need some good vitamins to kick start her growth. Are they supposed to be Barred Rocks? They are pretty little birds!

 

[emmsx3]

Is it a bantam maybe? They are pretty small compared to standard chicks.

It could be? We have a lot of feral chickens here in Hawaii and some of them look like bantam chicken

She's a runt. Try adding vitamins to her water? Breaking the food up into smaller crumbs might help out too.

I thought so...When she reached around the second week, her brother and sister were very big unlike her. I tried breaking up the food for her but she prefer's the bigger pieces.

I have a little Delaware from this past May that I got along with 5 other chicks from the same shipment and they all looked the same age...within days of each other. She was teeeeeeny, 1/3 the size of the others at best all through the summer, took forever to feather out, but she ate and drank well and kept up with the others to compete for food. Now she's as big as the others and nearly as big as my 18 mo old Delaware so she caught up in the end. I gave her Nutridrench daily for a couple of weeks and then a few times per week after that until her feathers came in more. Corrid for all once they were ranging in their own little space in the yard.

I'm so happy to hear that your little chick manage to thrive! I have Nutridrench and gave it to her the first day after she was born. She hates it when I try to give it to her and always prefer's just eating crumbles. I should have given it to her daily

Some chicks just exhibit failure to thrive. Sometimes they slowly fade away, and other times they get a spurt and catch up to their hatch mates. Hopefully the chick is from the latter group.

I understand. She was still very tiny and her had a very very hard time eating. She tried her best though. Scratching and pecking at her food. When she did manage to get a piece, she'd try again. But considering her size, she'll get very tired and run back under the heating plate to rest. I'm sad to informed that she just passed today when I got home from work. I was holding her until she took her last breath...I'm very heartbroken considering she was doing fine yesterday. I loved her so much and I wish I could have done much more..

If she is eating, and pooping, I'd just see how she grows. You might wanna try to mix some NutriDrench in with the baby feed. She might just need some good vitamins to kick start her growth. Are they supposed to be Barred Rocks? They are pretty little birds!

Thank you. She as doing fine like that everyday for these past two weeks. She worked so hard to try and get food for herself and drink. But unfortunately she did pass away today ...I was holding her, crying, and I knew she was going even though I wanted to do something more to save her. I miss her so much and very very heartbroken...but I'm so grateful to give her a chance to live life a little bit while she was with us here on earth <3

 

[MysteryChicken]

It could be? We have a lot of feral chickens here in Hawaii and some of them look like bantam chicken



I thought so...When she reached around the second week, her brother and sister were very big unlike her. I tried breaking up the food for her but she prefer's the bigger pieces.



I'm so happy to hear that your little chick manage to thrive! I have Nutridrench and gave it to her the first day after she was born. She hates it when I try to give it to her and always prefer's just eating crumbles. I should have given it to her daily



I understand. She was still very tiny and her had a very very hard time eating. She tried her best though. Scratching and pecking at her food. When she did manage to get a piece, she'd try again. But considering her size, she'll get very tired and run back under the heating plate to rest. I'm sad to informed that she just passed today when I got home from work. I was holding her until she took her last breath...I'm very heartbroken considering she was doing fine yesterday. I loved her so much and I wish I could have done much more..



Thank you. She as doing fine like that everyday for these past two weeks. She worked so hard to try and get food for herself and drink. But unfortunately she did pass away today ...I was holding her, crying, and I knew she was going even though I wanted to do something more to save her. I miss her so much and very very heartbroken...but I'm so grateful to give her a chance to live life a little bit while she was with us here on earth <3

I had a runt bantam before, she was super tiny, & struggled to eat. One day when I picked her up, she was skin, & bones. I made her food into a wet mash, & broke it up into chunks, & she loved it, then finally began growing, & no longer starving.