Are pine shavings causing problems for my baby chick?

[paxicotrader]

We have some 1 and 2 week old chicks and all have been vigorous and healthy so far. For the first 2 weeks I used newspaper with paper towels on top for bedding and had no problems. Yesterday I switched to pine shavings which the hatchery and the farm store both highly recommended.

Now I notice that all this morning 1 little chick keeps opening and closing his beak and his body looks like it's kind of heaving. Sort of like he's standing there gagging, but nothing happens. I dip his beak in water, and he swallows a little but keeps opening and closing his beak.

The only thing that has changed is the bedding so is it possible that's the problem? I was told the pine shavings were the best thing!

 

[A.T. Hagan]

If those shavings were dry and fluffy when you put them in then I doubt they are the cause of the problem. Pine shavings are probably the single most common brooder bedding there is.

 

[Buck Creek Chickens]

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is you baby to hot, as they get older they need less heat

 

[paxicotrader]

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Well, we did raise up the brooder lamp a bit since they are older now and the others are not showing signs of overheating. It's a big long box and they all have plenty of room.

 

[zatsdeb]

when you don't start out with shavings, the chick may have ingested a small shaving, that can happen. when they are little they usually pick at everything and realize right away the difference between food and shavings, it happens. did you look to see if you could see anything in its mouth?? could just be a coinsidence also.

 

[paxicotrader]

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I just look in his mouth and down the throat as far as a I could and saw nothing.

Don't know what else to check for. He has been doing this for hours now with no improvement. He's still gagging and looking really pitiful. If he has ingested pine shavings, what to do and how to tell??

 

[zatsdeb]

if it is still gasping for air, it could be something is stuck, or could be maybe got stepped on and is injured. I am not sure about what to do if you do see anything.

 

[paxicotrader]

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It's hard to tell if it's gasping for air. It looks just like a cat when they are about to cough up a fur ball. They sit there and act like they have the "dry heaves." This is what the chick is doing, plus it peeps with each opening of its beak.

I just administered a little olive oil just in case he has some pine shavings in the crop. Then I let him drink a little warm water and massaged the breast, crop and throat. He vomited a tiny bit but only a little water with some tiny bits of chick feed. Nothing big or scary.

I really don't know what to do now. My gut tells me he's just going to eventually die.