4 1/2 week old chick in need of help

[jonalisa]

hey - I'm new to your thread. A few weeks ago I had two 10 week old chicks with coccidiosis, both has very obvious blood in their poops, it got significantly worse with time. They both recovered and are doing well now. I wanted to add that I think you're right to question whether this could be something else because of the lack of blood you've found in the chicks poop and how far along you are with the corid treatment. Have you seen anymore regurgitation from her since the first time? Is she still drinking water?

Hi, and thanks so much for posting. She is still drinking water. I haven't seen her poops, partly because of these stupid wood chips that I will never use again, lol.
There was only that one time she "threw up" and I tend to think maybe I picked her up right after she drank.
I asked to speak to someone on MPC about medical issues... They question whether there is a potential Corid overdose. They advised me to stop, switch to clean water, get rid of sod, feed only non-medicated feed. Offer plain yogurt mixed with scrambled egg, which she is not really eating.

 

[jonalisa]

As of yesterday, the chicks are 5 weeks old. My other chicks are nearly ready to be out in the coop. I am worried that Ruby will not be ready and I don't want to separate her.

 

[jonalisa]

So today, Ruby seems improved. I am hesitant to say it, but there are small signs...

She is still puffed up, but out from under the heater more often.
She is eating/pecking more often, in short bursts.
Last night she successfully slept with the flock on top of the panel heater and was there this morning.
She is chirping a little less often.
She's eating more grit.

I'm still holding my breath - but optimistic.
I got amazing and timely advice from everyone in this thread, and without them, I don't think I could be this hopeful. Support is as important as answers.

I will continue to post here for all those that come here with similar issues.

(I also prayed to St Francis, Patron Saint of Animals...and that can't be discounted.)

 

[FloorCandy]

So today, Ruby seems improved. I am hesitant to say it, but there are small signs...

She is still puffed up, but out from under the heater more often.
She is eating/pecking more often, in short bursts.
Last night she successfully slept with the flock on top of the panel heater and was there this morning.
She is chirping a little less often.
She's eating more grit.

I'm still holding my breath - but optimistic.
I got amazing and timely advice from everyone in this thread, and without them, I don't think I could be this hopeful. Support is as important as answers.

I will continue to post here for all those that come here with similar issues.

(I also prayed to St Francis, Patron Saint of Animals...and that can't be discounted.)

I raise quail, and I hatch dozens of chicks per month. It’s not uncommon to get one that just won’t thrive. You’ll watch it and see it starts off normal, doing the things all the others do, then it starts to fail. The constant cheeping, the halted growth, the weight loss, soon it looks like its all legs.

Previously, as I tried to hand feed a slow chick, I noticed a crackling when I would feel the crop, which was always empty. Upon researching I found suggestions that might indicate a ruptured air sac. I manipulated around the top/back of shoulder and found the bubble. The chick was too far gone, and even when I released the air and it looked better, it just couldn’t compensate for days of not eating enough, and passed by the next evening. I don’t know if that sort of thing happens or is common in chickens, but if you feel and massage the crop, is there a crackling sound at all?

That’s all I can think of to add, everything else I could say has already been covered. I wish you luck and I’m hoping your chick will continue to improve.

 

[jonalisa]

I raise quail, and I hatch dozens of chicks per month. It’s not uncommon to get one that just won’t thrive. You’ll watch it and see it starts off normal, doing the things all the others do, then it starts to fail. The constant cheeping, the halted growth, the weight loss, soon it looks like its all legs.

Previously, as I tried to hand feed a slow chick, I noticed a crackling when I would feel the crop, which was always empty. Upon researching I found suggestions that might indicate a ruptured air sac. I manipulated around the top/back of shoulder and found the bubble. The chick was too far gone, and even when I released the air and it looked better, it just couldn’t compensate for days of not eating enough, and passed by the next evening. I don’t know if that sort of thing happens or is common in chickens, but if you feel and massage the crop, is there a crackling sound at all?

That’s all I can think of to add, everything else I could say has already been covered. I wish you luck and I’m hoping your chick will continue to improve.

Thank you so much for replying and tell me about your chick. It sounds very similar to what is going on with my chick. In the beginning, I could only feel a squishy, doughy crop. Then as days went by, her crop was always flaccid - feeling empty, even after seeing her peck at food. Even now, after feeling encouraged that she is eating more often, I just felt for her crop and all I feel is keel bone.
I have been saying to my husband, "It's almost as if her crop is disconnected and nothing is going in it."

Can you tell me how to feel for this 'bubble' or show me where you read about it?

 

[MommaHen1996]

Mine had a full crop problem to the point they were peeping a lot, I felt terrible and removed the open feeder for the night and half the day until their crops went back down, also put pedialyte and chick grit in..

 

[jonalisa]

Mine had a full crop problem to the point they were peeping a lot, I felt terrible and removed the open feeder for the night and half the day until their crops went back down, also put pedialyte and chick grit in..

I almost wish that was the case here. Unfortunately, it's the opposite - her crop is always empty.

 

[MommaHen1996]

Try boiling an egg and mashing up the yolk super fine, to see if she will eat it, I gave my chicks scrambled eggs with yogurt when they started to get poopy butt...it went away immediately maybe she just needs a little protein boost

 

[FloorCandy]

Thank you so much for replying and tell me about your chick. It sounds very similar to what is going on with my chick. In the beginning, I could only feel a squishy, doughy crop. Then as days went by, her crop was always flaccid - feeling empty, even after seeing her peck at food. Even now, after feeling encouraged that she is eating more often, I just felt for her crop and all I feel is keel bone.
I have been saying to my husband, "It's almost as if her crop is disconnected and nothing is going in it."

Can you tell me how to feel for this 'bubble' or show me where you read about it?

This isn’t the post, I can’t find the exact one, but this one has some good pics and descriptions. Mine had the air bubble over or under the shoulder depending how you look at it, it’s such a small space, idk it’s hard to describe but between the wing and the crop on the crop side, and I believe the air was accumulating and preventing the crop from taking in food, and if it got any in, the air bubble pressing would squeeze it back out.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...subcutaneous-emphysema.1432594/#post-23641261

 

[jonalisa]

This isn’t the post, I can’t find the exact one, but this one has some good pics and descriptions. Mine had the air bubble over or under the shoulder depending how you look at it, it’s such a small space, idk it’s hard to describe but between the wing and the crop on the crop side, and I believe the air was accumulating and preventing the crop from taking in food, and if it got any in, the air bubble pressing would squeeze it back out.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...subcutaneous-emphysema.1432594/#post-23641261

Thanks very much. She's been eating off and on all day, but crop is flat.