Choking with stumbling?

[countrychick72]

I've been scouring the different threads already here, and have tried various things such as giving her water with an eye dropper and rubbing her crop. I haven't found anything in her throat or body that indicates impaction, so I'm very confused why she's doing this. I really don't want to lose my chick! I'm going to pick up some chick grit tonight, but until then, what do I do? Thank you for any advice!

 

[Eggcessive]

Welcome to BYC. She should not need chick grit if all she has had to eat was chicken crumbles. If she has had other foods, which is a couple of weeks too early, she may need grit. Could she have eaten pine shavings. Is her crop (in the upper right side of her chest below the neck) round and hard? Giving water, and massaging the crop downward may help if it's that.

 

[countrychick72]

Thank you for your response. She's been on medicated chick starter/grower, so the only other possibility is eating the shavings. In my observations of my chicks, I haven't seen them eating the shavings but of course that doesn't rule it out. I am continuing to give her water and I've been examining her whole body, but haven't found anything out of the ordinary. I've been annoying my other chicks for comparison sake.
I know she was not exhibiting this behavior yesterday, and she is slightly over 2 weeks old. Hopefully, I can get her through this!

 

[Eggcessive]

The other thing I worry about is that she is showing respiratory distress, maybe from a heart or other internal problem. Have there been any other chickens on your property or any feeders/waterers used for others who could have been carriers of respiratory diease. Did your chicks come from a hatchery or someone locally? Some things like mycoplasma (MG or CRD) can be passed through the hatching eggs, so if you hatch an egg from a mother hen who is a carrier, then the chick can get it. This is all theoretical, but just bringing it up in case. If they came from a hatchery or feed store, they should be healthy.

 

[countrychick72]

My big chickens are all healthy, and came from a feed store so I assume they are not carriers? My new chicks also came from the feed store. Thank you again. I am still watching her but what I'm doing doesn't seem to be helping. She is still stretching up, chirping and stumbling around. It is so sad!