One chick much smaller ... should I be worried?

[GiddyUpGo]

We got eight chicks just over two weeks ago. A week after that, we got a pair of maran chicks. One is a cuckoo maran and the other is a blue copper maran. They are much smaller than the other chicks so we're keeping them indoors for a couple of weeks until they catch up to the rowdy and spazzy flock of older chicks.

We've had the two marans for five days. The blue copper maran still seems brand new. She has a few wing feathers but she's still really small. It seems like the cuckoo is growing but the copper isn't. She eats and drinks but she is still kind of wobbly. She also kind of has a hunched stance and keeps her wings away from her body.

I'm concerned there may be something wrong with her, but I've also considered that maybe she is a couple of days behind the cuckoo maran since they came from different groups of chicks. It would be nice to get some thoughts from people who have a little more experience with this stuff than I do! Thank you.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Does she look like she does in the photo all the time? She doesn't look well, but it's hard to say what it might be. I'd direct dose some Poultry Nutri-Drench if possible, as well as having it in her water, to try and give her an energy boost plus a bit of vitamins.

She might not be younger but might be runty, or a failure to thrive case.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

She also kind of has a hunched stance and keeps her wings away from her body.

I agree she doesn't look well or comfortable.

Another thing I notice is the heat pad underneath.. is not usually where chicks warm up from and it *may* be cold?? Some chicks don't complain.

I also cannot pin point the exact source of what might be going on. The poultry nutri drench as suggested above has made a huge difference for some failing chicks in my experience.. and I have it on hand for exactly these times.

Hope that baby starts to thrive!

 

[GiddyUpGo]

Does she look like she does in the photo all the time? She doesn't look well, but it's hard to say what it might be. I'd direct dose some Poultry Nutri-Drench if possible, as well as having it in her water, to try and give her an energy boost plus a bit of vitamins.

She might not be younger but might be runty, or a failure to thrive case.

Thank you, I'm going to pick some of that up today. Yes, she does look like that pretty much all the time, but she also has a full crop, so I don't get it. I didn't think a sick chick would still have a hearty appetite. Hopefully the Nutri-Drench will sort her out.

 

[GiddyUpGo]

I agree she doesn't look well or comfortable.

Another thing I notice is the heat pad underneath.. is not usually where chicks warm up from and it *may* be cold?? Some chicks don't complain.

I also cannot pin point the exact source of what might be going on. The poultry nutri drench as suggested above has made a huge difference for some failing chicks in my experience.. and I have it on hand for exactly these times.

Hope that baby starts to thrive!

Thank you, the heating pad is on and warm, but maybe not warm enough? I've felt it and I guess I'm not sure just how warm it's supposed to be. The other chick seems fine with the temperature in their cage, and it's also generally pretty warm in that room.

 

[LaFleche]

Inspect her vent and in case she has some poop stuck to it, wash it off with lukewarm water and dry well.

What do her droppings look like?

 

[NatJ]

Thank you, the heating pad is on and warm, but maybe not warm enough? I've felt it and I guess I'm not sure just how warm it's supposed to be. The other chick seems fine with the temperature in their cage, and it's also generally pretty warm in that room.

I can't decide whether the chick looks cold or actually sick. Even if she is sick, she might also be cold (or she might not.)

I would try to offer a warmer area. Make sure she can get away from the heat, but consider shining a heat lamp in one corner of the brooder, or put hot water in a jar and put it in the brooder for her to snuggle against if she wants to (be sure to close the jar lid tightly), or turn the heating pad to a higher setting and prop it up so the chick can snuggle underneath, or something like that.

Do not make the entire space warmer, just try making one area warmer while leaving some areas cool. That way the chick can choose what area is comfortable for herself. If you watch what area she chooses, you will learn whether she actually wants more warmth, or whether she is happiest at the temperature you were already providing.

 

[GiddyUpGo]

Inspect her vent and in case she has some poop stuck to it, wash it off with lukewarm water and dry well.

What do her droppings look like?

Thank you, her vent looks pretty normal. Up until this morning all the poop in the cage looked pretty normal, too. I gave her some Nutri-Drench last night and put it in their water. This morning there was a poop in their cage that was pretty loose and sort of an orangish brown. Not completely liquid, but not formed either. Could the Nutri-Drench cause poop to look like that? If not maybe she's getting worse. Still seems to be eating and drinking just fine, moves around, pecks, and scratches but when she's standing still she still has that weird hunched look with her wings out.

 

[GiddyUpGo]

I can't decide whether the chick looks cold or actually sick. Even if she is sick, she might also be cold (or she might not.)

I would try to offer a warmer area. Make sure she can get away from the heat, but consider shining a heat lamp in one corner of the brooder, or put hot water in a jar and put it in the brooder for her to snuggle against if she wants to (be sure to close the jar lid tightly), or turn the heating pad to a higher setting and prop it up so the chick can snuggle underneath, or something like that.

Do not make the entire space warmer, just try making one area warmer while leaving some areas cool. That way the chick can choose what area is comfortable for herself. If you watch what area she chooses, you will learn whether she actually wants more warmth, or whether she is happiest at the temperature you were already providing.

Thank you, I'll try that and post an update.

 

[rosemarythyme]

This morning there was a poop in their cage that was pretty loose and sort of an orangish brown. Not completely liquid, but not formed either. Could the Nutri-Drench cause poop to look like that?

That sounds more like a cecal poop, which is normal.