Chick keeps yawning and scratching head

[bbybread]

Hello, I have three 3-week-old chicks and last night I noticed one of them “yawning” a lot. This morning he’s doing it more often and scratching his head a lot too. Otherwise active and has a good appetite.

i think I should mention that they recently just recovered from a respiratory infection. Still putting antibiotics in their water to finish the course. Checked his mouth and poop, all normal. His ear looks okay too, doesn’t look red or swollen and no discharge... what could this be? Gif of the chick included.

thank you!

edit: chick scratches both ears, not just the left

 

[azygous]

Ear infection or something caught in the ear. Your chick is pointing to the left ear as causing her pain and discomfort. Have someone hold the chick while you pull back the little ear flap and look inside with a strong light.

 

[bbybread]

Ear infection or something caught in the ear. Your chick is pointing to the left ear as causing her pain and discomfort. Have someone hold the chick while you pull back the little ear flap and look inside with a strong light.

Hi, thanks for replying.
Is there anything specific that I’m supposed to be looking for? I did look into both ears earlier under a lamp, nothing looked “wrong” to me although this is my first time looking into a chicken ear. What I can tell you is there was no obvious obstruction, visible mite eggs(?), redness, discharge, or even smell.

I should add that the chick scratches both ears, didn’t realize that he was only scratching the left in the gif.

 

[azygous]

Thanks for the thorough report. The problem may not be in the ears but in the throat. Have you looked inside the mouth and throat?

Listen to its breathing. Does it sound raspy? Is the chick coughing or sneezing? Look in the throat for anything stuck there? There could be a wood shaving or even a human hair or dog hair. You may need to have some tweezers handy to fish it out.

 

[bbybread]

Thanks for the thorough report. The problem may not be in the ears but in the throat. Have you looked inside the mouth and throat?

Listen to its breathing. Does it sound raspy? Is the chick coughing or sneezing? Look in the throat for anything stuck there? There could be a wood shaving or even a human hair or dog hair. You may need to have some tweezers handy to fish it out.

Hello! Just checked his ear again and noticed a little bit of yellow discharge in one ear! In the other it looks like the discharge has already crusted over a tiny bit on to the down feathers! I mistook the feathers covering the ear on my first inspection, I thought it was normal to have “darker” feathers covering the ear canal but I see now it’s actually just wet

no coughing or sneezing but they have just recovered from a respiratory infection. Could this have been related to the ear thing? Are my other chicks likely to get it too?

 

[azygous]

Yes, the respiratory infection probably affected this chick's ears. It's difficult enough to clean out an adult chicken's ears, but a chick is a challenge. If you have a bulb syringe, something that can produce a stream of liquid, even a spray bottle set on "stream" will work, fill with hydrogen peroxide and try to flush the ears as best you can.

Then take a topical wound ointment such as Neosporin, and pack it into the tiny ear canals. That should do it.

No, the others aren't likely to get it unless their own respiratory illness is still active. You'll know by behavior if it is just as this chick let you know.

 

[bbybread]

Yes, the respiratory infection probably affected this chick's ears. It's difficult enough to clean out an adult chicken's ears, but a chick is a challenge. If you have a bulb syringe, something that can produce a stream of liquid, even a spray bottle set on "stream" will work, fill with hydrogen peroxide and try to flush the ears as best you can.

Then take a topical wound ointment such as Neosporin, and pack it into the tiny ear canals. That should do it.

No, the others aren't likely to get it unless their own respiratory illness is still active. You'll know by behavior if it is just as this chick let you know.

hello, symptoms are getting less frequent but they’re still yawning from time to time. I think I’ll try this. Should I dilute the hydrogen peroxide? And Neosporin isn’t accessible in my country, any alternative to that or should I just do the peroxide?

thanks for your help