Chicks crop fills with air

[Crackers78]

Hi, need some advice. We have a 2 day old bantam chick. She was lethargic when we got her yesterday ( she came by mail with 3 similar chicks). We got her in the brooder to warm her up and she was drinking on her own yesterday afternoon but would not eat. We tried scrambled eggs and mashed chick starter. She looked awful last night so we gave her nutri drench with an eye dropper. Her crop looked like a balloon immediately afterwards. I thought this might be normal as she had not had much to drink and had not eaten. She did not improve and we did not expect her to make it thru the night. But she did, she's a tough little chick! Her crop looked the same this morning so I massaged it very gently and felt a release of air. I gave her yolk from a dropper which she gobbles up. After her second dose of yolk this morning her crop was large so I waited a bit and massaged again this time until all of the air released. She immediately started chirping and running around, she drank water on her own. She was a totally different chick. After drinking the water on her own her crop inflated again. She acts like she has trouble swallowing when she drinks and kind of shakes her head. This is her crop after drinking water at 11:30 and a few sips before the pic was taken. The pic looks terrible but she really is still alive and well. Just trying to show inflated crop. I have not massaged it again, waiting to see if it goes down on its own but will massage again if it doesn't. Sorry for long post. Just wanted to see if anyone has heard of this before and if we should keep treating with massages. Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks!!​

 

[coach723]

Are you sure this is the crop? It could be a ruptured air sac. Diagram below shows where air sacs are located, if one has a tiny tear the air leaks under the skin and it fills like a balloon. The crop should feel a bit deeper, the layer of skin and then the layer of crop muscle. If it's air sac then it will be directly under the skin. Chicks can get air sac injuries from getting banged around during shipping, dropped, or banged around by other chicks.
If it's an air sac then you can wipe the skin with disinfectant, take a sterile sewing needle, puncture the skin where the air is (just the skin, hold the needle parallel to the skin and pinch it up to make a prick) and release the air. Apply a tiny dab of plain neosporin to the prick. Sometimes it may have to be done again. Releasing the air takes the pressure off the air sac and it will often heal.
Obviously if this is the crop you do not want to puncture that.
You can google and find some pictures of birds with air sack injuries, some are very swollen.

 

[Crackers78]

Thank you so much for the reply. I have been doing some more reading and I believe it may be an air sac. I will give the needle a try. Not sure she has much of a chance if we don't, she really needs to eat. I also noticed last time she drank she gurgled when she cheeped so that makes me think air sac also. Thanks!!