chick puffed & head shaking

[lutz123]

3+ week old RIR pullet. I put the brooder on the screened porch this afternoon (yes, a little spoiled) so they could enjoy some outside time and noticed that one was a little puffed, but attributed that to the fact that it was a little cool & breezy. Everyone else, even one less feathered, was fine. I put up a windbreak and left them alone. This evening when I brought them in and the RIR was still puffed, went straight to the heat lamp, and stood, puffed up, eyes closing, and I noticed frequent head shaking. Per some other threads I felt her crop and it was fairly soft, probably marble sized, and when I massaged it a little it pretty much disappeared. I tried giving her olive oil but she didn't like it one bit. I put some new poultry grit in and she went right to it and ate. That was before I read to withhold food. I also pulled out and refilled the waterer and she was the first one to it drinking (a bunch of shavings in it but it had clean water there). She then went on to eat some crumble. She is now back standing under the heat lamp with her eyes closing...and her head tucked under her wing. Is it a good sign that she was hungry? Or should I remove her? This was all in the span of about 15 minutes so I'm learning on the fly here. Everyone else is fine.

Edited waterer info - had missed a few words!

 

[Miss Lydia]

in the evening their crop should be full and soft. please don't try to put olive oil down their throat because if you miss and it goes into their lungs their a gonner. as for her getting under the heat lamp sounds like she got chilled. the head shaking I am not sure of. but if all the rest are fine then i would just keep an eye on her. if your feeding starter grower chick feed and have grit for them she shouldn't have any crop problems and at their age they should have food and water 24/7. also add some ACV to their water it will keep the crop ph normal. 1 tab. to 1 gallon of water.

 

[lutz123]

Thanks for the reply - Her crop didn't seem hard, just "normal", but she just looks a little under the weather. It's just odd that she won't lay down. The others are so happy to be near a heat lamp again they are sprawled everywhere, but she's hunched and standing. They had a bit of strawberry, which is why I put out the grit. And she may have eaten a stink bug - there are many in our screened porch right now. I didn't try to use a syringe for the oil, just dipped her beak in some (fat chance), and rubbed a little on the outside of her beak. Apparently she doesn't like extra virgin! I didn't really feel like there was something to wash down anyhow so I didn't push it.

I was just worried about leaving her this way overnight. I suppose she is okay for now, but I'd feel much better if she were comfortable enought to lay down. I will pick up apple cider vinegar in the morning...

Edited to add...They have water and chick starter all the time. Just emptied out shavings from the waterer...

 

[lutz123]

If it was some kind of crop issue, how long until they are back to normal? She is still hunched a puffy, though she does scratch around and eats & drinks seemingly fine. Poop looks normal so things are passing. She's peeping though, and resting more than normal. But if I take her out and put her on the floor she is very excited and active. I guess I'm just not sure if they typically take a couple of days, or if it means something is probably still wrong.

 

[Roon]

Did you ever figure out what was up with your chick? Sounds a lot like an issue I have with one of mine right now - not wanting to lay down to sleep, but sleeping much of the day, puffed up.

 

[PDXcluck]

Did you ever figure out what was up with your chick? Sounds a lot like an issue I have with one of mine right now - not wanting to lay down to sleep, but sleeping much of the day, puffed up.

Same here. Roon, did you figure out what was wrong?

Someone told me Cocci, I am going to start treatment tomorrow...