Sorry about picture quality. I have posted a couple times in recent days in random threads about one of my Buff Orpington chicks behaving ill. Even after Tetracycline in the water for several days, syringe fed mash and water, she is not recovering. She sits in a sleepy, wobbly state all day. She does go to the feeder and peck at the food, but I cant say for sure if she is actually eating. Her eyes are half closed all the time, she breathes with her whole body, and when I hold her to my ear I can hear her weezing a little. I assumed respiratory infection, and set a humidifier next to her hospital cage, and continued the Tetracycline because it says it treats respiratory disease. But today, she still doesnt look any better, so I picked her up, and examined her. Firstly, I noticed bubbles coming from her nares, so I rinsed those away, and thought again maybe respiratory infection. But then I started running my fingers along her body. I felt a pea sized mass on her chest. I seperated her feathers to take a look, and sure enough, right there to the Left of her keel bone there was what appears to be a large abcess or scab (maybe she was picking at it) on a hard lump. It is about the size of a pea, or slightly larger, which is pretty big for a 6 week old chick. She doesnt react when I manipulate it, and after squeezing it I was not able to get any fluid out of it. I checked the other Buff Orp, and she has nothing even similar. Could this be the cause of her illness? What could it be? i think its too far down to be crop impaction......plus they have access to dirt/grit when outdoors and have only had soft foods like yogurt and wet bread. Im off to do some google searching, but I thought Id bounce it off Ye Ol' Wise ones here at BYC. Thanks in Advance.
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