5 day old chick with bulging crop that wont go down

[Coastal Chick]

I have a 5 day old chick that has been acting like she's choking, stretching her neck and opening her mouth since yesterday. She is with 5 other chicks that seem to be doing fine. Her crop was enlarged so I tipped her upside down and massaged it. She threw up feed and bubbles and phlem looking stuff. I thought this would take care of it but she had a large crop this morning and continues with the neck stretching uncomfortable moves. So I massaged and tipped her upside down again and she threw up alot of the same.

So this morning I isolated her and gave her water with a bit of ACV and a small dish of yogurt. She hated the yogurt and tried to get it off her beak. I have massaged her several times during the day. She did not throw anything up. I tried to squirt a bit of olive oil into her beak. I think I got some in. She has been screaming all day!!! I thought she might be sick but she has a set of lungs on her. This evening she ate the yogurt off my finger after several attempts to offer it to her. She wont eat it herself and I dont think she is drinking water. She has not pooped all day! She seems to be really hungry and stops screaming when I hand feed her yogurt and now she is gobbling it off my finger. But now her crop is huge again.

What should I do? I dont know why she isnt pooping.

 

[Gresh]

Sounds like a bad case of impacted crop.

If you haven't already, try withholding normal chicken feed for a day and giving her the yogurt or similar very soft foods. I would try forcing her to drink by dipping her beak in water. She may not like it, but it will help loosen up whatever may be stuck.

Is her bedding very finely-shredded material? She may have gotten bored and ate some bedding, which can get stuck in a chick's crop. Although I'm no expert, I think she probably is not pooping because, essentially, her crop is so impacted that nothing is entering her stomach and intestinal tract.

From other material I've read about treating impacted crops, it sounds like you've done the right things so far. If you have a vet that will treat birds, I would take her there if her crop doesn't improve within a couple days. The vet may have to surgically remove an obstruction.

As to her screaming, she may miss her friends. Try to see if there's a way that she can see/hear her fellow chicks without accessing their feed. Seeing and hearing other birds really can be an incentive for chickens to keep fighting.

Hope she gets better!

~Gresh~

 

[Coastal Chick]

Thanks Gresh. I think there is something stuck also. Is there any way to dislodge it without going to the vet, which I cant do?

 

[Coastal Chick]

The baby is still alive and peeping, I think she might have pooped a tiny bit of hard poop, I keep giving her water with a syringe and a bit of stool softener last night. She started eating the yogurt on her own. How long can I withhold food before she starves?