Impacted crop on 3 day old chick? Help please

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ZooMummzy

ZooMummzy

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My less than a week old banty chick Ginger has a large, soft swelling on the right side of her chest just below her neck. It is squishy to the touch, like filled with fluid. I read in another thread this could be a crop problem but it was related to an older pullet. Could the same be happening to Ginger? If so, what if anything, can I do for a chick this age who will not eat? They suggested giving grit to clear it up. Can I force feed grit? Doesn't seem safe. She is the one in my other thread that I almost lost due to not eating and drinking two days ago. I hand fed her all day and she came back. Last night I noticed she was not as active anymore so I separated her out from the others. This morning she is still weak and lethargic and I cannot get her to liven up even with food and water. I have been trying liquefied egg yolk for an extra boost but also starter mash completely watered down. She is also gasping for breath at times. I think this swelling is affecting her breathing.

I would appreciate any help I can get as soon as possible (if she is savable). I would really hate to lose this little girl. I lost one on Tuesday and I have worked so hard to save her, not to mention I am attached
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I am in the same boat with my 1 week old chick. I have tried a few drops of olive oil in a syringe. I squeezed it at the side of his beak and it bothers him enough that he will swallow some of it. Do I search for impacted crop and it will give you some more ideas.
My chickie has a really hard crop and the olive oil and massage have not helped so far, but it may help you.
 
Thank you. I am sorry you are going through this too. She is dying right now in my hands. Her life just wasn't meant to be. I know what I need to do (cull her) but I am really struggling with that right now as I have never had to do it before. It is breaking my heart and I'm angry with myself for not being able to do what has to be done.

I hope your little one gets better
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actually If you want to clear the crop yo need to do the baking soda flush

take 1/2 cup of baking soda and put into 1 pint of warm water
use a child's ear syringe and fill with soda water
now put syringe to back of throat so you are fillin the crop area and put this soda water in the crop
now come up under the crop on front of chicken
push softly the sour mess in the crop out the beak
then flush it three times to get all the sour food out and what ever is blocking the chicks crop hole

DO NOT feed any thing more than milk-yogurt soaked slice of bread

I guess the mineral oil is okay
BUT always put the eye dropper in the back of the chickens throat
 
What has the chick been eating? What kind of bedding do you have it on? Have you given it anything other than starter crumbles? Does it have food 24/7? How much water has it been drinking? Have you had any pastey butt issues? At any time has the chick been over heated or gotten chilled?

Often a full crop is nothing more than a full crop and you have other issues secondary. A 3 day chick that dies really is not all that rare. There are things going on inside them that we don't know and can't see. It could be suffering from a developmental problem.
 
Thank you all for the posts--I have a 2 week old chick with the enlarged hard crop. The chick was panting yesterday, today it has stopped. The chick is feeding and drinking, but seems lethargic. I think the heat/cold issues have been solved. I think they were a little cool. I will try the soda wash, I guess.
 
also I would use 2tsp of apple cider vineager in their gallon waterer
this will help the gut
hopefully you can get them to be okay
may I sugges that you go to a lumber yard and buy white play school sand for their bedding
it is very nice and will not hurt them if they injest it
then you can take a cat litter scoop and clean out sand with droppings in it
 
Thank you for all your information. I will certainly tuck it away for future needs because it is really good stuff to know and have at hand. It is hard to search for information while you are trying to save a chick or chicken so I really appreciate it.

Unfortunately, I had to cull Ginger not long after posting this thread (see I just culled Ginger thread in raising chicks). It was my first time ever having to do this and I am still very upset and shaken over it.

The chicks are on paper towel right now but will go on sand soon. I use it in my outside coop and just love it for those very reason - they love it and it's so easy to clean. I just bought a new bag today to use as I was out at Lowes getting the new coop. All my chicks only have starter medicated food from the minute I bring them home and always water. She wasn't drinking or eating properly from the beginning. I never give them treats until they are at least 8 weeks old. They have a heat lamp 24/7 always watching the temp and backing it off as recommended. Sometimes no matter what you do right you just can't do enough. I have learned that the hard way this week after losing two chicks. Sometimes it is just meant to be.

She was a very weak chick from the beginning so I am sure there were other issues going on with her. I did bring her back to almost normal a couple days ago but it didn't last. I only thought about the impacted crop because it sounded exactly like another thread I ran across right down to the swelling. It could have been a number of things I know but at the moment, I was searching for help. Thank you for providing it
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I love this forum and all the people on it. It has been so wonderful.
 
Last edited:
Hi guys, I'm currently experiencing ZooMummzy's problem with some of my four day old hatchery chicks. The crops on some are swollen and squishy and they're "throwing up" or having crop overflow from time to time. It's almost like the water they drink doesn't pass through the crop and so they never get any nutrients and just starve out. They've filled up with water upon arrival and then never felt the need to eat food because the crop is still full.
I can always spot out the next one to die because it will begin opening its beak in a gasping like manner with each breath. The gasping gets worse and worse until that is all they lay there doing. Then they lay down under the lamp and after a few hours, their breathing slows and they basically die in their sleep.

I've previously tried all sorts of things, nuti-drench, egg yolk, honey on a toothpick. Their bodies don't even seem to absorb it and put it to use. If I ever did give one a sugar rush, it ran laps until the sugar rush was over and would still refuse to learn how to eat.

I've considered all possible factors... and right now, all I can determine is, it's an internal defect that I can't see. Something is hopelessly wrong with the chick or a little nutri-drench and sugar water would certainly get it to perk up and open its eyes for a little bit.

Considering how many hundreds upon thousands of chicks are incubated at a hatchery, it shouldn't be too much of a surprise that more than one motherless little peep out of twenty is defective inside. What I am wonder is- why are five out of twenty thrown into my shipments??
 
Glenda L Heywood said:
actually If you want to clear the crop yo need to do the baking soda flush

take 1/2 cup of baking soda and put into 1 pint of warm water
use a child's ear syringe and fill with soda water
now put syringe to back of throat so you are fillin the crop area and put this soda water in the crop
now come up under the crop on front of chicken
push softly the sour mess in the crop out the beak
then flush it three times to get all the sour food out and what ever is blocking the chicks crop hole

DO NOT feed any thing more than milk-yogurt soaked slice of bread

I guess the mineral oil is okay
BUT always put the eye dropper in the back of the chickens throat
Click to expand...
 

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