10 day old OE chick undersized and possible air bubble

[Buffy-Featherington]

Hi everyone

I have a flock of 9 OE and BCM chicks, and one of the OEs is noticeably smaller than the rest. I noticed it a few days ago and fed her an egg yolk / electrolyte slurry via syringe intermittently for 3 days. She seemed to improve and is more social / pecking / eating with the flock as of 2 days ago.

Today when I was checking them, I noticed this mass on her right side chest. I’ve noticed a smaller pocket there about 3 days ago, and it resolved on its own the next day.

Should I be intervening at this point, or waiting? I took her out of the chick tent where she had been foraging to check her out. She is now back in the tent, chirping sadly under the heater. I think she is stressed?

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Hi everyone

I have a flock of 9 OE and BCM chicks, and one of the OEs is noticeably smaller than the rest. I noticed it a few days ago and fed her an egg yolk / electrolyte slurry via syringe intermittently for 3 days. She seemed to improve and is more social / pecking / eating with the flock as of 2 days ago.

Today when I was checking them, I noticed this mass on her right side chest. I’ve noticed a smaller pocket there about 3 days ago, and it resolved on its own the next day.

Should I be intervening at this point, or waiting? I took her out of the chick tent where she had been foraging to check her out. She is now back in the tent, chirping sadly under the heater. I think she is stressed?

Could that be her crop since it resolved on its own?
Re-check first thing in the morning before she's had anything to eat/drink.

Can she eat chick starter on her own? Try it as a wet mash.
Can she drink on her own?

Does she have access to chick grit free choice?

 

[Buffy-Featherington]

Could that be her crop since it resolved on its own?
Re-check first thing in the morning before she's had anything to eat/drink.

Can she eat chick starter on her own? Try it as a wet mash.
Can she drink on her own?

Does she have access to chick grit free choice?

Thank you - I will check her first thing in the morning

She eats dry chick starter and drinks water fine. She also will accept yolk/chick-boost solution out of a syringe slowly (1-2ml per session). I tried starting them on wet fermented mash earlier as a flock, but they didn’t seem to like it.

Thanks again, this is my first hatch / first time raising chicks

 

[Buffy-Featherington]

Luna’s lump (likely her crop) has resolved this morning. She is enjoying the day outdoors.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Luna’s lump (likely her crop) has resolved this morning. She is enjoying the day outdoors.

So cute!

Very good, then that's her crop you are feeling. Good that you are checking them over and noticing things.

You're doing good.

 

[Buffy-Featherington]

UPDATE: Luna is almost 8 weeks old and doing great. Initially I thought she would always be undersized and perhaps would not be a good layer, but she has caught up, and I think will be just as healthy as her other Olive Egger hatch mates.

Look what a beautiful hen she is growing to be! She has a very sweet and calm disposition. Thank you to everyone who gave advice and cheered us along.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

UPDATE: Luna is almost 8 weeks old and doing great. Initially I thought she would always be undersized and perhaps would not be a good layer, but she has caught up, and I think will be just as healthy as her other Olive Egger hatch mates.

Look what a beautiful hen she is growing to be! She has a very sweet and calm disposition. Thank you to everyone who gave advice and cheered us along.

View attachment 4217882

She's lovely!
I'm glad she's doing well, thank you for the update

 

[Buffy-Featherington]

She's lovely!
I'm glad she's doing well, thank you for the update

Thank YOU for the advice and help!

For anyone reading this with a similar situation (undersized, under-nourished chick), don’t give up! I used a mixture of egg yolk, chick boost powder, very weak green tea, and a little sugar (recipe from from the “chickenlandia” YouTube channel) to bring her back to health, and made sure she had access to a warm brooder plate at all times. Thankfully, the effort paid off, and she’s grown to be my favorite hen (don’t tell the others though)!