1 week old chick, air sack issue

[2ndTink]

I have a 1 week old chick that has been going between gasping and acting completely normal. It has maybe a ruptured air sack in its neck, it's ballooned up from its crop up its neck.

What can I do to help it? Will it heal on its own or is it hopeless?

It can eat and drink, it will act completely normal, normal breathing, preening, eating, drinking, then all of a sudden start gasping and it will gasp for a few minutes to hours.

 

[MysteryChicken]

Pictures?

 

[2ndTink]

No, I haven't taken any.

 

[MysteryChicken]

No, I haven't taken any.

If you can get a couple it'll help us, help you?

 

[Debbie292d]

I believe I've seen @Eggcessive have an answer for this for someone else with similar issue.

 

[2ndTink]

Here are a few photos, it's not currently gasping this morning, and it's not as ballooned up as previously. But it still has an air pouch near it's crop.

 

[Eggcessive]

Using a 20 or 22 gauge needle inserted under the skin can remove the air from a leaking air sac (subcutaneous emphysema) if the chick seems in distress. Sometimes the air will become reabsorbed on it’s own if there is no distress. I successfully treated this in a 2 week old chick who had been bumped in it’s side. I had to repeat the procedure. Here are a couple of videos that may help.

 

[2ndTink]

@Eggcessive Thank you so much for the videos! It still has a small bubble but isn't gasping today, it's actually acting completely normal, I was sure it was going to die if it starts gasping and being in distress again I will give it a proper deflating.

 

[Eggcessive]

Let us know how the chick gets along.

 

[2ndTink]

Let us know how the chick gets along.

I haven't seen it gasp yesterday or so far today, it must have reabsorbed the air. It's behaving completely normally!