I touched her, she screamed again, flapped wildly around, and was dead. Remember - we're dealing with nature. As heartbreaking as it may be, we will always lose some, generally through no fault of our own. 1 failure to thrive out of 30 is a good ratio in shipped chicks. Raising any livestock is basically a genetic crap-shoot.
Physical deformities are usually an indicator of greater, unseen problems.
In Cujo's case, the crossbill could be filed down to facilitate eating, but this chick most likely had an unseen, congenital disorder. She seemed able to eat, but only from a feeder bowl with lots of food. She was very popular with the rooster, they'd hand out together but he never mated with her, for he knew her small size made it too easy to injure her. We all miss her, especially her owner, my younger brother. This is a private posting area.