1 Week Chirk Mortality - Subcutaneous Emphysema?

[meehljd]

Hello all,

My wife and I got our first batch of baby chooks this past Monday. All was going well, with only one case of pasty butt.

We had left for the afternoon. When we came home, my wife discovered one of the Black Australorp chicks had passed. He or she had a large pocket of air under the skin on the right side of the neck. Previous to this, we did not notice any lethargy. To my knowledge, there was no significant injury.

Any idea about the cause. Is this simply a defect, or potentially a result of an infectious disease?

 

[Eggcessive]

Welcome to BYC. Subcutaneous emphysema or a leaking air sac in young chicks is usually a sign of an injury. It can cause labored breathing in some, and in others, may not need intervention. I treated a two week old with that once, using a 22 gauge needle to pierce the skin and pushed the air out. A clicking sound can also be common with that. Sorry for your loss.

 

[meehljd]

Thanks for the response. I wonder if something happened during shipping.

My wife it taking it pretty hard.