Chick has sour crop, and making funny head movement. help!

[Pebbles25]

Perhaps I could share via one drive?

 

[Pebbles25]

Sadly the chick didn’t make it! Its crop didn’t empty.

 

[kattabelly]

Sadly the chick didn’t make it! Its crop didn’t empty.

I'm sorry.

If you wanted, you could open up its crop to see if you can see what caused the blockage.

I wonder if it ate some of that bedding and hadn't had enough grit to be able to break it down enough to pass. I know lots of people use wood shavings without any issues but I don't like them for small chicks personally - they always seem far to keen to eat them.

 

[Pebbles25]

I must have been the wood shavings! I had it on kitchen towel for the first few days. What do you use as chick bedding?

 

[kattabelly]

I must have been the wood shavings! I had it on kitchen towel for the first few days. What do you use as chick bedding?

Kitchen paper (or sometimes a tea towel or whatever else is close to hand tbh ) for the first day or so, then wooden cat litter. It comes as compressed pellets that are too big for a small chick to eat, then when it absorbs moisture from poo etc it breaks down into a sawdust-like consistency that's less dusty than wood shavings and also too fine to be likely to cause crop issues unless they ate a whole load of it and didn't have access to grit.

You can get smaller bags from the supermarket or places like poundstretcher, or pet/farm/feed type shops will often have big bags that are better value.

 

[Pebbles25]

Kitchen paper (or sometimes a tea towel or whatever else is close to hand tbh ) for the first day or so, then wooden cat litter. It comes as compressed pellets that are too big for a small chick to eat, then when it absorbs moisture from poo etc it breaks down into a sawdust-like consistency that's less dusty than wood shavings and also too fine to be likely to cause crop issues unless they ate a whole load of it and didn't have access to grit.

You can get smaller bags from the supermarket or places like poundstretcher, or pet/farm/feed type shops will often have big bags that are better value.

Ohh, that’s a great idea with the cat litter, I have got to say I hate dusty wood shavings but I don’t really have much of a choice for my big birds. We have cats too and we have use wooden cat litter before so I know how big it can be, don’t know why I didn’t think of it. Thank you!

 

[kattabelly]

Ohh, that’s a great idea with the cat litter, I have got to say I hate dusty wood shavings but I don’t really have much of a choice for my big birds. We have cats too and we have use wooden cat litter before so I know how big it can be, don’t know why I didn’t think of it. Thank you!

I don't buy bedding for older birds and haven't for broody-raised chicks when that's been up to me (and won't in future now I have my own chickens). They roost at night and get some combination of hay, straw, bracken, dry leaves and anything else I can collect around the place to put in nest boxes and their little day shelters.

 

[Pebbles25]

Oh great idea, very creative!

 

[kattabelly]

Ha, I just don't like spending money or relying on other people for things I could do myself!