2 queries

[tulilynx]

Hi,I have 4 chicks,which are in their "teenager " phase,young cockerels and pullets.

The 1st question is that one of my chick recently developed an addiction to tea.And now if it sees a cup it cant resist taking a couple of sips.Is it okay for him to drink tea ,even in such minute quantities(not more than half a teaspoon is what it drinks,twice a day).

Secondly I have a copper black cuckoo maran which has had a history of foaming beak.In the last few months since I've had him he has shown sickness twice by foaming at the mouth(miraculously the whole foaming and everything dissapears in a day and the chick is healthy again).Well this chick has a frog like lump in its throat,under its beak.It keeps swallowing it and it keeps reappearing,very much like an adam's apple.The chick seems to be growing slower than the others,but he's still healthy.I'm just worried about the weird lump.I'l post a pic asap.I've felt the lump its kinda hard and just like an adam's apple.

thnx a lot.

 

[Erica]

Hi there,
I doubt tea will hurt, but are you sure you want a chicken drinking out of a human cup? It's unlikely to cause problems but some bird diseases are zoonotic (able to be passed to humans). I'm sure you're quite hygenic, this is just a little qualm from someone who keeps chickens in a pen...

As for the lump in the chick's throat, I think you might need to open the beak wide under a good light (might need help) and have a really good look down the throat. Look for any white/creamy lesions or growths, which could be canker (a fungal infection). Any bad smell should also be noted. It may be he's got something stuck there, for instance some birds try to swallow thread and it gets wrapped around the tongue. That could explain some of the odd bubbling you've seen.

I don't really know what else it could be, but I suppose some kind of cyst or tumour is a possibility. But a check for anything visible is a good place to start.

Good luck, hope you get knowledgeable answers. I'm really just guessing off the top of my head!

best wishes
Erica

 

[tulilynx]

Thanks a lot.I keep my chicks at home,in a large cage,and things are a bit too hygenic(lol),no bad smells or droppings or anything,and the flooring of cage changed thrice a day.I heard about zoonotic diseases too,so I set aside a teaspoon speially for the chick.As for the chick with the lump,i seriously think it might've eaten something weird,but the stunted growth puzzles me.

btw here's a pic of my cage taken a month ago.now the chicks are bigger.