Chick with crop problem?

[Chicalina]

One of my 1 week old chicks seems lethargic and her crop is soft. I've only had her a couple of days. My broody hen took the chicks and is brilliant with them. This one seems to want to snuggle under her a lot, and when the hen is tidbitting and scratching for them (she has 6) this one just stands still by the side while the others run round all active and eating. I've seen her drink and eat and peck. Just not a lot. She isn't very active and sits hunched a lot (not all the time).

No pasty butt. No external parasites.

When I felt her crop it was squishy. I pressed it slightly and some liquid came up which she swallowed. Is she too young for sour crop?

I thought at first she wasn't used to being mothered (she was hatched in an incubator and kept in a brooder for 4 days). But now I'm worried she won't survive, especially since she goes to bed without enough food in her.

She is fed medicated chick crumbs, water with added vitamins, grit, and has had time in the dirt run each day.

 

[azygous]

Sounds like a chick that is struggling to thrive. Crop issues aren't usually a problem with new chicks. They can get constipated if they eat something requiring grit to digest or if they don't drink enough water, but yours sounds like it may be "failing to launch".

This is what Poultry Nutri-drench is made for. You can give it a couple undiluted drops a day as well as mix it into the water for all of the chicks and the broody to drink for a few days. This can get the chick nutrients it may not be able to metabolize from its food.

Special feedings of finely minced boiled egg can help. Also, crumbled tofu is a good food to catch up a baby chick. The Nutri-drench can be sprinkled over these foods for ease in dosing. I let all the chicks eat these so the weak chick is stimulated to join in.

 

[Chicalina]

Thanks @azygous I've got a similar product in their water but at "healthy chicken" dose, which I can double up to "sick chicken" dose, so I will do that.

Tofu, that's a great tip, I never would have thought of that.

I also think I'll make up a wet mash of chick crumb with the dosed water, and some egg.

The chick is still alive, so it must be eating. It has a muff and beard so it probably also looks extra neckless and hunched too!