6 week old chick is lethargic

[Celtic Chick]

I have a very knowledgable friend who told me to do this to treat sour crop:
For sour crop you can give vegetable oil from an eyedropper and massage the crop gently downward. Do this for 4-5 times a day for about 10 days. You can put a small drop of honey into the dropper with warm water as well, it'll help loosen what is in the crop....keep up with the the oil and massage. (This is what I have read, never had that problem personally)

Try either this or the apple cider vinegar, whichever you have on hand, or you can try both. If one doesn't help, try the other. I'd go with the oil one first. I'm sure you have that at home.
Good luck. Hope it helps Rusty.
And thank you very much, rebel-rousing-at-night. Very kind of you to say.

 

[Chido]

... that pebble thing, or whatever it was, is gone. I went to petsmart to buy a good syringe to be able to feed Rusty some soft food, as well as bird gravel for canaries (yay grit!) and I saw this medication named Ornacycline (http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=11147085). I asked if i could used that for chickens too, the employee said probably, so I bought a box and I have it here, but I haven't opened it yet. I wanted to ask here first if I should use this medication, and if you guys say yes, then start with it.

Anyways, I don't feel anything in Rusty's crop anymore. I gave it some water to fill in his crop and it made a bit of noise, almost sounded like a, well, a wet fart

(sorry for the analogy). Still no weird hard object in there. I hope it finally passed and Rusty can eventually poop it. It still hunches and ruffles its feathers a bit, but it's not always lethargic. It tired to eat some Quaker's rice Cake crumbles from the carpet, so it's hungry, and it takes to drinking water from a syringe very well (so well I think it will get used to it). I bought Activia yogurt and I hope you guys say it's ok to feed it some, I also got some Gerber baby food (squash), and I was wondering if I could also give Rusty some organic Apple juice that my sister buys for her kids. Rusty does poop, but very little as it hasn't eaten much these days. I do hope that the problem was that thing in it's crop, I'll keep an eye on him today, and if I see that it still has some problems eating, I'll give it some oil and a crop massage in case there's still something there.

Damn bird made me spend 50 dollars in supplies today, he'd better get well or I'll be one angry Mexican lady *shakes fist at his royal fluffiness*

Edit: omg Rusty is now wandering around in my room instead of just standing in a corner, and it's looking for food, this is good!

 

[Celtic Chick]

I really don't think Rusty needs any antibiotics at this time. He doesn't sound like he has anything that requires being medicated for. But they are always good to have on hand in case you do need them one day.
Offer Rusty some grit in a separate bowl so he can eat it whenever he wants to.
I am glad to hear Rusty passed whatever was in his crop. I'd still give him some oil just in case.
Activia is ok. I prefer to give yogurt without artificial sweeteners, but I'm sure it will be ok, just give it in small amounts. Apple juice and the baby food are good ideas. Apple sauce too. Do they have sweet potato flavored baby food? Sweet potatoes are very healthy for chickens. Most fruits & veggies are ok to feed to chickens, but they are considered treats and should not compromise more than 20% of a bird's daily food intake. Chick food is what your chicks need to get & keep them healthy.
It does sound like he is improving. You are doing a good job. Keep it up!

 

[Celtic Chick]

Chicken treats: Feed in moderation, and never give them old or moldy food.
Apples: You can give them applesauce or fresh juicy apples. Yes, the seeds do contain cyanide, but the amounts are small, so don't worry. Just don't give them too many.
Bananas: They love Bananas.
Berries: All types of raw fresh berries
Grapes: Fresh
Melons: Cantaloupe, Honeydew, And watermelon. My chickens peck it down to the skin of the fruit.
Pomegranates: My chickens love picking out each individual piece.
Pumpkins: Raw or cooked, both seeds and flesh
Tomatoes: Raw or cooked.
Beans: Cooked at least 15 minutes, never dry, all kinds.
Beets: Cooked or raw.
Broccoli: Raw or cooked
Brussels Sprouts: Raw or cooked.
Cauliflower: Raw or cooked.
Cabbage: Raw or cooked.
Carrots: Raw or cooked, the whole thing.
Corn: Raw, cooked, or canned, this is obvious, the stuff chicken food is made from.
Eggplant: Raw or cooked.
Lettuce: All the leafy greens are good for the chickens.
Peas: Raw or cooked.
Bell peppers: Raw or cooked.
Sprouts: Make sure they are fresh.
Summer Squash: All Squash, if you have a garden you will have plenty of this.
Sweet potatoes: lots of vitamins A & E and fiber
Meats:
Chicken: Feeding chicken, chicken is ok. If you can't do this, feed them turkey.
Fish: Be careful, this might change the flavor of your eggs.
Meat: In very small amounts (hamburger, steak, roast, etc).
Cereal: All kinds, watch the sugar.
Cheese: All kinds, small amounts
Cottage cheese: They love this.
Flowers: You probably already know this.
Grits: Cooked
Live crickets: They will jump for crickets.
Leftovers: Human leftovers that are fresh, and low in fat and salt.
Meal worms: This may be their most favorite, Chicken food for the soul
Oatmeal: Raw or cooked.
Pasta: Cooked, no hard stuff.
Popcorn: If its corn, they like it.
Sunflower seeds: I don't know what to say but try it.
Yogurt: Plain or flavored, its good for their digestive system.
Follow these guidelines feeding chickens, and you will have happy and healthy birds. Too much of this stuff can have a negative impact on a birds health.
Stay away from potato peels, (chickens can't digest easily).
Spoiled and rotten food will make a chicken sick.
Some fish, onions, and garlic can give your laying hens eggs an unpleasant flavor.
If you suspect your chickens are not eating enough, try adding a little variety to their diet. Start by feeding chickens at different times during the day. Try these:
Yogurt
Milk.
Cottage cheese.
Tomatoes.
Salad greens.
Stir a small amount of water into their mash.
If you are not successful in stimulating your chickens appetites, your chickens may be in poor health.

 

[Mamahalo]

Celtic Druid you have been so kind and supportive here with Rusty, could you please try to help me as well? I have no responses on my post yet and there is no improvement in my sweet lady's strange behavior.

 

[Celtic Chick]

Of course. Send a link to it.

 

[Chido]

Rusty has been active and eating a few tiny pieces of the medicated feed I separated from the bigger pellets (ugh never mixing both feeds again). It's making a lot of noise, between peeping and chirping, and it it went on to shake its head as if it wants to spit something. Now he is walking all over my shoulders trying to cuddle. I know it's throat still bothers him (I keel calling him he, dunno what he is yet), but at least he is now looking for food, which is good! I'm gonna give him a bi more baby food later tonight.

 

[Celtic Chick]

Try to keep moistening the chick feed with water or milk if he keeps looking like he's having problems. Otherwise, it sounds like he is on the mend. Great mothering skills!
Remember, the chick feed, grit & water are the most important things for him right now. And keep an eye on his crop.

 

[Chido]

I have a question about giving some oil to chickens: I'm leaving my other two chicks outside in their coop (it has a run), and the plan is to eventually let them free roam the backyard and only lock them in their chicken coop when nobody is home, and at night. Should I give the chicks some oil and a crop massage two every week or two as a preventive measure?

 

[Celtic Chick]

No. Healthy chickens should be fine, just so long as they have clean, fresh, non-moldy or discolored chicken food, clean, fresh cool water, and some grit (and oyster shell calcium when they start laying eggs, if they do).
If you really want, you could soak a couple small pieces of bread in some olive oil & feed it to them once a week.