I have three chicks that are about 19, 21 and 23 ddays old. The youngest one is sooooo much smaller than the other two who are starting to look less "chick-like" every day. He seems energetic enough and the parents have been very good with them all. Can you have a "runt" with chicks? He doesn't seem to be growing at the same pace as the other two.

 

Advice?

Yes you do get runts in a clutch as well. Renee had one that had very ********* growth for a long time but eventually caught up. Sometimes ********* growth starts out holding the chick back from feather development for a couple of weeks, but there usually comes a point where they catch up. Some of them however die with issues that arent initially apparent.

 

I dont know how good an answer you will get here.......... http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_y...20132102AAP63UV

 

its mostly kids answering there and they know very little. Look for Moggie ...thats me.

Edited October 21, 200915 yr by KAZ

Look for Moggie ...thats me.

 

 

WOW...I read your answers on there all the time....yours are the only ones worth reading! LOL

 

I'm always very much in awe of how much you know! I did post this same question on there too hoping to get an answer from Moggie....and it seems I did, but over here! LOL

 

Your comment about the feather development is spot on....this chick looks sparse and bedraggled compared with the other two who are looking more and more like adults every day. I'm checking to make sure the parents are feeding it well and it appears they are and the older two feed the little one also. One big happy family!

Edited October 21, 200915 yr by defieldsfamily

 

There is some very bad advice being given out by children " over there" ....be careful what you listen to :rofl:

There is some very bad advice being given out by children " over there" ....be careful what you listen to :rofl:

 

 

That's why I'm glad I found this forum :rofl: Do you have any other aliases I should know about? LOL

Are there any other problems you can see? I had such a chick, but there were two major things besides size that i noted - it had RED skin while the others had pink skin, very clearly different. It also had a large purple belly and even though it survived for almost 3 weeks it never looked right and eventually the parents stopped feeding it.

Are there any other problems you can see? I had such a chick, but there were two major things besides size that i noted - it had RED skin while the others had pink skin, very clearly different. It also had a large purple belly and even though it survived for almost 3 weeks it never looked right and eventually the parents stopped feeding it.

 

 

No, I think size is the only thing I noticed about it physically....although it it is always mucky looking as though it smeared food all over itself...sort of matted looking. I's feathers are quite a bit sparser than the other two.

Yes I regularly get "runts" in my nests. About 3-4 each year. Most don't survive well and have an obvious growth issue so I cull them if they have not already died (which often happens when their siblings out compete them) have one at the moment actually..............

 

 

Edited October 21, 200915 yr by nubbly5

I took some pictures of the three chicks todaay and while Pop continues to be energetic and strong she's still quite a bit smaller. (I am of the impression all three chicks are females but we'll see ) But one nice thing I noticed was Pop finally starting to feather up a bit better...not quite so pink and bald! I figure that must be a good sign Snap and Crackle are doing well and I found Snap trying to get out of the nest today...she ended up hanging by one leg from the post outside the box....but a quick boost up the birdie bum and she was back were she belongs!

 

Thought I'd post the new pics so you have a bit of an update. I'm still keeping my fingers crossed thaat Pop catches up as I think she'll be a lovely bird...my only rec pied so far.

 

So...here they are with my daughter and her friend..Snap, Crackle and Pop @ 22, 24 and 26 days old.

 

http://i960.photobucket.com/albums/ae81/md...ds/DSCN1094.jpg

http://i960.photobucket.com/albums/ae81/md...ds/DSCN1095.jpg

http://i960.photobucket.com/albums/ae81/md...ds/DSCN1096.jpg

http://i960.photobucket.com/albums/ae81/md...ds/DSCN1097.jpg

http://i960.photobucket.com/albums/ae81/md...ds/DSCN1102.jpg

http://i960.photobucket.com/albums/ae81/md...ds/DSCN1103.jpg

 

 

photo sizes

please edit photos before submitting to your post as per forum rules ...to sizes 480 by 640 MAXIMUM

Edited October 23, 200915 yr by KAZ

they are usually the younger chicks and so might be getting too much full seed in their crops making it harder for them to get nutrients need to develop correctly.

I ahd this problem this year with only one nest the first round she had 3 and the oldest 2 grew normally but the youngest struggled so I put it in another nest but it died that day and then she layed 6 eggs 5 fertile 5 hatched I actually foster out the younger 2 because I thought it was the hens fault but again the youngest was a runt but this one did live flying around now but soooo tiny with no feather, looks like a pet type budgie but all the others are big nice birds with lovely feather, So I am guessing a throw back some where. I will give him to my son for a pet.