Chick eye shut heavy open beak breathing

[Haleygoss]

Just bought 8 assorted chicks ranging from 3-7 days old. They all were perfect the day I brought them home. The next morning one polish chick had an eye stuck shut, was constantly breathing slowly and heavily with its beak open, having diarrhea, I haven’t seen her eat and she is doing a head shake almost like a sneeze. No discharge or pus from eye, beak or sinuses but her sinus/eye are is swollen where her eye is stuck shut.

I’ve brushed a warm rag on the closed eye and started saline drops and terramycin today. Her eye seems better she is keeping it about 30-40% open now. She just doesn’t seem well and I’m worried about her and it spreading to my other chicks. She is raising her head to the sky and opening and closing her beak with her wings out from her body, almost like she’s struggling to get a breath. When she drinks she shakes her head like she can’t swallow the water. Any help of advice would be greatly appreciated! Thanks in advance.

 

[dawg53]

It might be a localized infection just with her BUT...there's always the chance that it could spread to the others by direct contact. I recommend that you cull her, it will save you headaches later on.

 

[Eggcessive]

Do you have Poultry NutriDrench to give her a couple of drops? Or SaveAChick electrolytes added to the water? I would offer water to her beak and dip it as often as possible. Check that she has a clean vent, and is not suffering from pasty butt. What temperature is your brooder?

 

[Haleygoss]

It might be a localized infection just with her BUT...there's always the chance that it could spread to the others by direct contact. I recommend that you cull her, it will save you headaches later on.

I just quarantined her to her own brooder last night. Her open beak heavy breathing seemed to have stopped but she seems more sleepy and lethargic. Kind of hoping she just passes naturally if she isn’t going to recover, she doesn’t seem to be suffering and has been eating and drinking ok since last night.

 

[Haleygoss]

Do you have Poultry NutriDrench to give her a couple of drops? Or SaveAChick electrolytes added to the water? I would offer water to her beak and dip it as often as possible. Check that she has a clean vent, and is not suffering from pasty butt. What temperature is your brooder?

I don’t have either of those I put apple cider vinegar in their water but have since quarantined her to her own brooder. I don’t know the exact temp of the brooder but the chicks are active and sleep in the middle not too close or far from the heat light. No pasty butt but she is having diarrhea

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I just quarantined her to her own brooder last night. Her open beak heavy breathing seemed to have stopped but she seems more sleepy and lethargic. Kind of hoping she just passes naturally if she isn’t going to recover, she doesn’t seem to be suffering and has been eating and drinking ok since last night.

Can you post some photos of the poop and of the whole chick?

Is it cooler where you moved her? Interesting that the heavy breathing stopped once you moved her.
You mention your assortment is 3-7days old - how old do you think she is?
Did these come from a store or a breeder? (were they shipped at some point)

It would be good if you could get some Poultry Nutri-Drench to have on hand.
If you do get some give her 1-2drops direct dose every day for several days.
Do what you can to get her hydrated, then see if she will eat a little wet chick starter or some egg for you.

 

[Haleygoss]

I have been giving her wet chick starter and she was eating that ok but I will try some scrambled eggs tonight. She came from a local feed store so I think they order from a hatchery. She she was likely shipped as a day old. She’s still breathing heavily but no longer open beak breathing with her beak up in the air. She doesn’t run away when I try to pick her up and seems generally weak. The brooders are right next to each other but since she’s the only chick in there it might be cooler cause she can’t snuggle up to the others. I bought two polish from the same brooder and my other one is a lot smaller so Belle (my sick one) might have been a week (a week and a half now) or she might be a rooster, hard to say since they had them all together. I will get some photos of her and her poop and I’ll look into nutridrench.

 

[Eggcessive]

Do you have any baby vitamins, vitamin b complex tablets, vitamin E, or can you make some homemade electrolytes? She might benefit from the NutriDrench if you could get some right away. Poultry Cell is good as well, or SavaeAChick electrolytes with vitamins are good to add to water.

 

[Haleygoss]

 

[Haleygoss]

those photos are of her bad eye, she looks like she’s having some nasal drainage and the swelling has gone down quite a bit too. Her poop is a very small amount of white and green complete liquid.