1 week old baby chick with soup crop

[Ksheets4]

- 1 week old Silver laced Wyandotte chick
- sour breath
- firm and full crop

Possible treatment options? Have any of you guys experienced this with week old chicks?

thank you!!

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Welcome To BYC

Can you post some photos of your chick and the brooder set-up?
What do you feed?

Is your chick acting lethargic or sick?
Does it sleep all night in the dark or are you using a heat lamp/light for brooder so it's eating at all hours?

Is the crop emptying at all?
Is the chick pooping - what's that like?
Is this your first time raising chicks?

 

[Ksheets4]

Welcome To BYC

Can you post some photos of your chick and the brooder set-up?
What do you feed?

Is your chick acting lethargic or sick?
Does it sleep all night in the dark or are you using a heat lamp/light for brooder so it's eating at all hours?

Is the crop emptying at all?
Is the chick pooping - what's that like?
Is this your first time raising chicks?

Feed:
- Purina start and grow non medicated (I’m now withholding food)
Brooder set up:
- large pine shavings (currently put paper over the pine shavings in case of ingestion being the cause)
- temp at 95
- main light off at night but there is a small night light
Water:
- save-a-chick mixed (now using ACV)

This photo was about an hour ago when I wanted to get good look at her. I attempted to syringe feed her liquid coconut oil but couldn’t get her to take more that a few drops. Her crop seems very large and pretty firm. Haven’t been able to notice her droppings sadly. Her bottom is is currently clean although she did have pasty bum initially. Increasingly lethargic but still pretty active. Only my second batch of chicks. This is my first time having issues like this.

Thanks so much for the warm welcome and your chick wisdom.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Withholding the food overnight is a good idea.
If they are moving about with the night light, you may want to turn that off too. (Chicks like to party at 2am if they have a light.
If the night light is needed, then do provide water for them.

Check again in the morning - if it's not empty, then I would begin with coconut oil. You mentioned it smelling sour - if the crop is sour, then I would also give yeast or antifungal cream. (Miconazole/Monistat or Clotrimazole/Athlete's foot cream)
Coconut oil is usually more accepted if it's solid in tiny chunks instead of liquid but tiny chicks can be ornery. You can mix a bit of the oil with feed if you wish. The creams, I would direct dose those. For a chick that size I would give a 1/4" twice a day for 7 days.

I would not separate her unless she's being picked on. Let her drink and eat. Do provide grit free choice.
She may have ate some bedding and hopefully her crop will empty overnight.

I have not treated one quite so young, but have used the creams on numerous occasions with adults and 1 chick that was about 4 wks old. If I had a chick that young that had sour crop, I would use the cream with no problem - but that's me.

Food and brooder sound good! You've got this

https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...w-to-know-which-one-youre-dealing-with.73607/

 

[Ksheets4]

Withholding the food overnight is a good idea.
If they are moving about with the night light, you may want to turn that off too. (Chicks like to party at 2am if they have a light.
If the night light is needed, then do provide water for them.

Check again in the morning - if it's not empty, then I would begin with coconut oil. You mentioned it smelling sour - if the crop is sour, then I would also give yeast or antifungal cream. (Miconazole/Monistat or Clotrimazole/Athlete's foot cream)
Coconut oil is usually more accepted if it's solid in tiny chunks instead of liquid but tiny chicks can be ornery. You can mix a bit of the oil with feed if you wish. The creams, I would direct dose those. For a chick that size I would give a 1/4" twice a day for 7 days.

I would not separate her unless she's being picked on. Let her drink and eat. Do provide grit free choice.
She may have ate some bedding and hopefully her crop will empty overnight.

I have not treated one quite so young, but have used the creams on numerous occasions with adults and 1 chick that was about 4 wks old. If I had a chick that young that had sour crop, I would use the cream with no problem - but that's me.

Food and brooder sound good! You've got this

https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...w-to-know-which-one-youre-dealing-with.73607/

This is so helpful!!! I’ll be sure to do this. Thank you!!!!!

Do you happen to know how I can prevent this in the future? If a chick has sour crop when young, do they tend to have it again?

 

[Wyorp Rock]

This is so helpful!!! I’ll be sure to do this. Thank you!!!!!

Do you happen to know how I can prevent this in the future? If a chick has sour crop when young, do they tend to have it again?

In one so young they may have eaten some bedding, which is common for chick(en)s to do, they peck at and seem to eat everything.
I supply chicks with grit free choice first thing.

It's possible that something is not quite right with this chick's digestive system as well - this is not to cause you undo stress or worry, it's just something to consider IF she continues to have issues.

See how she does, hopefully the crop has emptied this morning.

 

[Ksheets4]

It's possible that something is not quite right with this chick's digestive system as well - this is not to cause you undo stress or worry, it's just something to consider IF she continues to have issues.

See how she does, hopefully the crop has emptied this morning.

Her crop went from the size of ping pong ball (last night) to a small mushy grape (this morning). Still sour breath. Started her this morning on monistat. Is there a way I can tell if she was born with GI issues or is it a wait-and-see kind of thing?

 

[Wyorp Rock]

It's good that it is emptying some!

Unfortunately, this would be a wait and see type of thing if she did have some type of digestive disorder.

I hope she gets better soon and thrives.

Please keep me posted on how she's doing, she and the others sure are cute

 

[CalBickieMomma]

My June Bug (Barred Rock) had gassy/sour crop around that age. I noticed she wasn’t eating much and had low energy. I separated her from the others and withheld food, feeding her NutriDrench, hard boiled egg yolk I had watered down, and some olive oil a few times a day (I suspected she ingested a wood shaving and had a partial blockage). I also gave her some ACV for the gassy build up, as well as Monistat paste later on (a tiny bit that I wiped into her mouth to help fight the yeasty build up). I also massaged her crop several times a day (and even 3-4 times during the night) to get the air bubbles out. I was so worried about her, but she pulled through and is now full grown and healthy (and has no boundaries with mama chicken because she got a week’s worth of special attention from me when she was a baby). I don‘t know if all my methods helped her, or if she would have gotten past it on her own, but maybe some of this will help yours if she doesn’t improve .

 

[Ksheets4]

It's good that it is emptying some!

Unfortunately, this would be a wait and see type of thing if she did have some type of digestive disorder.

I hope she gets better soon and thrives.

Please keep me posted on how she's doing, she and the others sure are cute

Big thanks Wyorp Rock! She’s back to normal…all bright-eyed and doing great thanks to your help!!