3 day old chick with odd swollen growth

[KLC321]

I just received 15 chicks in the mail yesterday. They were active, eating & drinking after they arrived and got settled. When I was checking each chick this am for pasting I noticed one has an injury with a swollen area. It is swollen I've attached a photo. They are on pine shavings. Does anyone have Any suggestions for what I should do to treat it?

Thanks for any help you can give me.

 

[Eggcessive]

That is the chick’s crop where the food and water is stored after eating, and it moves onto the gizzard. Do you know how it became injured. I would put some plain antibiotic ointment on the wound. Make sure the other chick’s are not pecking it. Make sure the chick is not scratching or pecking herself.

 

[KLC321]

That is the chick’s crop where the food and water is stored after eating, and it moves onto the gizzard. Do you know how it became injured. I would put some plain antibiotic ointment on the wound. Make sure the other chick’s are not pecking it. Make sure the chick is not scratching or pecking herself.

I'm not sure how it happened. I picked up the chicks from the post office yesterday morning. I got them set up in their brooder but didn't check each chick carefully, just wanted them to get under the light and to start eating and drinking. When I checked each chick this am I noticed it. I haven't noticed any chicks pecking him or the chick pecking himself. I watch them closely and check on them a few times every hour. I'm a little obsessive right now

Thanks for your help. I put antibiotic ointment on it.

 

[Gallinarium]

It looks like an abscess. If you find that it is, open it up and clean the wound. Best of luck!

 

[Eggcessive]

Let us know how the chick is getting along tomorrow. Does it seem to be eating and drinking? If the others peck at it, the chick will need to be separated with a little partition or screen in the brooder.

 

[KLC321]

Let us know how the chick is getting along tomorrow. Does it seem to be eating and drinking? If the others peck at it, the chick will need to be separated with a little partition or screen in the brooder.

It's moving around the brooder. All of them seem to be eating and drinking but I haven't specifically seen the injured one eating and drinking. I'll watch for awhile. I'm a little nervous about opening up the abcess. I was hoping it would come to a head and pop open on its own and then I could clean it. I'll update tomorrow.

Thanks!

 

[KLC321]

Chick is ok today. No better and maybe a little more swollen. He's able to move around ok. I had to isolate him because I noticed other chicks pecking him a little.

 

[Eggcessive]

Is he eating and drinking? That area is the crop, so I do not think it is an abscess or would I try to let it pop up on it’s own. Crops can become enlarged in chicks from eating, but you don’t want them to eat any pine shavings or bedding. That could cause an impacted crop. BluKote spray is something that you cannfind at many feed stores to spray into the wound to hide it. It is staining blue dye antiseptic that will wear off eventually. Feed stores may sell their own brands called wound coat.

 

[KLC321]

I saw him drink yesterday but haven't actually seen him eat. His food seems to be going down in his section of the brooder so I assume he is eating. Is there anything I can do if the crop is impacted?

 

[KLC321]

After reading about impacted crop I massaged the lump. It went down and seemed to kind of explode overnight. I put antibiotic cream on it and separated him from the other chicks. I noticed they were pecking his wound through the fencing so we added fencing. I then noticed him pecking his own wound. We ended up doing a little bandage on him and that really helped. He turned a corner after we did that. We changed the bandage again this am. The wound looks much better. He's perkier and eating and drinking. Thank you for the help and advice!