WakaFlockaChickens
Chirping
Hi everyone,
I have a group of 5 one-week old baby chicks and last night my chocolate sexlink (that we are now affectionately calling Twitch) started shaking her head and scratching at her neck/chin area. I have checked for mites and lice and I have examined her face and beak, and there is no visible injury. They've been on paper towels, eating unmedicated chicken starter from the barn where I purchased them and I mix it with a 10:1 ratio of feed to grit. She has been eating a ton - definitely my most vigorous eater of the bunch, and drinking water. Since their feed is unmedicated I treated them with a half dose of Amprolium in their water yesterday as directed by the barn (one half dose once per week). I also have an immune boost powder with vitamins, minerals, and probiotics that they get in their water when they aren't being treated with Amprolium as the barn said they counteract each other so best not to give them on overlapping days.
She definitely has a firm lump on her chest so I assume her crop is impacted. The only thing she has had other than feed and grit is hard boiled egg that I mashed into tiny bits. They all ate just a small amount of that two days ago (probably half a tablespoon for all five of them).
She is not gagging or doing lots of neck stretching. Just twitching a lot - in a 15 second video I took she twitched 8 times. I left her with everyone today and she continued to eat and drink as normal, but the twitch has not resolved and her crop feels hard. I've read about giving her oil and massaging the crop, but she is acting totally normal other than this twitch so I'm unsure if that's wise. I don't want to do something to make the situation worse, but I also don't want to take her to a vet.
I'd love your suggestions and any experiences you've had with this. I'd like to nip the problem in the bud but I also have a tendency to overreact so could use some guidance! Thanks!
I have a group of 5 one-week old baby chicks and last night my chocolate sexlink (that we are now affectionately calling Twitch) started shaking her head and scratching at her neck/chin area. I have checked for mites and lice and I have examined her face and beak, and there is no visible injury. They've been on paper towels, eating unmedicated chicken starter from the barn where I purchased them and I mix it with a 10:1 ratio of feed to grit. She has been eating a ton - definitely my most vigorous eater of the bunch, and drinking water. Since their feed is unmedicated I treated them with a half dose of Amprolium in their water yesterday as directed by the barn (one half dose once per week). I also have an immune boost powder with vitamins, minerals, and probiotics that they get in their water when they aren't being treated with Amprolium as the barn said they counteract each other so best not to give them on overlapping days.
She definitely has a firm lump on her chest so I assume her crop is impacted. The only thing she has had other than feed and grit is hard boiled egg that I mashed into tiny bits. They all ate just a small amount of that two days ago (probably half a tablespoon for all five of them).
She is not gagging or doing lots of neck stretching. Just twitching a lot - in a 15 second video I took she twitched 8 times. I left her with everyone today and she continued to eat and drink as normal, but the twitch has not resolved and her crop feels hard. I've read about giving her oil and massaging the crop, but she is acting totally normal other than this twitch so I'm unsure if that's wise. I don't want to do something to make the situation worse, but I also don't want to take her to a vet.
I'd love your suggestions and any experiences you've had with this. I'd like to nip the problem in the bud but I also have a tendency to overreact so could use some guidance! Thanks!
