First, has anyone else heard the old wive's tale that you shouldn't name your chickens, because the ones name are the first to die? It almost came true!
I've had my 4 pullets for 1 week now, 3 black australorps and 1 marans. A few days ago, one of the australorps was chasing a fly around the brooder and almost killed it, but the injured fly made it out of the brooder and was struggling on the ground. I picked it up and gave it to the little chick. Ever since then, when I walk by, she runs up to me begging for more, and she hops into my hand. So cute! She is the smallest of the bunch and for some reason reminds me of a blueberry, so I named her Miss Halle Blueberry.
Since she ate the fly, I figured I should give them some grit. I gave them a small amount of playground sand.
They are being fed unmedicated starter feed and also have water with electrolytes/vitamins.
About 12 hours after this, Miss Blueberry got an impacted crop and was lethargic. Her crop was 1/3 full and very hard. She was not eating but would drink occasionally. I had no experience with an impacted crop, but I do have experience with lethargic chicks, and that experience told me she was on death's door. I syringe fed her some sugar water, and then some baby bird formula. Then her crop blew up like a balloon. I did some internet searching to figure out that it was an impacted crop / sour crop. I massaged the balloon crop and it went down and she regurgitated a little liquid. She did one almost normal looking poo. She still would not eat.
Everything I could find on line said not to feed her, but to give her diluted apple cider vinegar. I did that. But I was very worried about a small chick not eating and being lethargic and thought she might die from lack of sugar/energy. I read that bread+olive oil could be okay to feed, but she wouldn't eat it. Out of desperation I tried some whole wheat pasta + olive oil that we had laying around and she did eat this. It was the only thing she would eat. I was very worried that pasta has binding properties which could further complicate the impacted crop, but we kept massaging and hoping it was the right thing to do. I was a stress case and we stayed up all night nursing her.
In the morning Miss Blueberry was in the same situation, not eating except for pasta, drinking some, lethargic, and her poo, which had been mostly normal during the night, was now clear liquid with tiny bits of solid green matter. By this time baby blueberry saw me as momma hen, which makes me very attached to them (okay I'm one of those softie vegetarian types with no kids, I confess!!), and I decided to take her to the avian vet. The vet injected her with some medication that clears out the crop. She also got an injection of fluids, and then we went home. Vet said no more pasta.
Her crop emptied out, and she started eating the starter crumbles, and her energy is back! We are so happy that she is doing better. Although we had to pay to take her to the vet, another benefit besids her (hopefully continuing) recovery is that we got some fluids/syringes and tube feeding materials for baby chicks. I am a former vet tech and have sometimes been frustrated that I didn't have these supplies for overnight chicken emergencies, since I know how to use them.
So now I am just wondering what caused the impacted crop and if I could have done anything better. Was it the fly? The sand? Note the dr. said the stuff in the crop was likely the crumbles and not sand (that's what I first thought it was, because that's what it felt like). Temperature in the brooder seems about right. Could some of these crumble bits be too big for tiny babies? Or could this just be one of the things that can happen to babies no matter what we do. If anyone has thoughts on anything I could have done better, I would appreciate the advice.
I am so grateful for the BYC community because much of the advice and info on impacted / sour crop came from this site. I am convinced that the massages we gave her saved her life. She is now the friendliest of all of the girls, and my personal favorite. Hopefully the beginning of a beautiful relationship!
Thanks everyone!
Colleen
I've had my 4 pullets for 1 week now, 3 black australorps and 1 marans. A few days ago, one of the australorps was chasing a fly around the brooder and almost killed it, but the injured fly made it out of the brooder and was struggling on the ground. I picked it up and gave it to the little chick. Ever since then, when I walk by, she runs up to me begging for more, and she hops into my hand. So cute! She is the smallest of the bunch and for some reason reminds me of a blueberry, so I named her Miss Halle Blueberry.
Since she ate the fly, I figured I should give them some grit. I gave them a small amount of playground sand.
They are being fed unmedicated starter feed and also have water with electrolytes/vitamins.
About 12 hours after this, Miss Blueberry got an impacted crop and was lethargic. Her crop was 1/3 full and very hard. She was not eating but would drink occasionally. I had no experience with an impacted crop, but I do have experience with lethargic chicks, and that experience told me she was on death's door. I syringe fed her some sugar water, and then some baby bird formula. Then her crop blew up like a balloon. I did some internet searching to figure out that it was an impacted crop / sour crop. I massaged the balloon crop and it went down and she regurgitated a little liquid. She did one almost normal looking poo. She still would not eat.
Everything I could find on line said not to feed her, but to give her diluted apple cider vinegar. I did that. But I was very worried about a small chick not eating and being lethargic and thought she might die from lack of sugar/energy. I read that bread+olive oil could be okay to feed, but she wouldn't eat it. Out of desperation I tried some whole wheat pasta + olive oil that we had laying around and she did eat this. It was the only thing she would eat. I was very worried that pasta has binding properties which could further complicate the impacted crop, but we kept massaging and hoping it was the right thing to do. I was a stress case and we stayed up all night nursing her.
In the morning Miss Blueberry was in the same situation, not eating except for pasta, drinking some, lethargic, and her poo, which had been mostly normal during the night, was now clear liquid with tiny bits of solid green matter. By this time baby blueberry saw me as momma hen, which makes me very attached to them (okay I'm one of those softie vegetarian types with no kids, I confess!!), and I decided to take her to the avian vet. The vet injected her with some medication that clears out the crop. She also got an injection of fluids, and then we went home. Vet said no more pasta.
Her crop emptied out, and she started eating the starter crumbles, and her energy is back! We are so happy that she is doing better. Although we had to pay to take her to the vet, another benefit besids her (hopefully continuing) recovery is that we got some fluids/syringes and tube feeding materials for baby chicks. I am a former vet tech and have sometimes been frustrated that I didn't have these supplies for overnight chicken emergencies, since I know how to use them.
So now I am just wondering what caused the impacted crop and if I could have done anything better. Was it the fly? The sand? Note the dr. said the stuff in the crop was likely the crumbles and not sand (that's what I first thought it was, because that's what it felt like). Temperature in the brooder seems about right. Could some of these crumble bits be too big for tiny babies? Or could this just be one of the things that can happen to babies no matter what we do. If anyone has thoughts on anything I could have done better, I would appreciate the advice.
I am so grateful for the BYC community because much of the advice and info on impacted / sour crop came from this site. I am convinced that the massages we gave her saved her life. She is now the friendliest of all of the girls, and my personal favorite. Hopefully the beginning of a beautiful relationship!
Thanks everyone!
Colleen
