Crop not filing?

[kimberly r]

Crop not filling? This past year I have had this experience with 3 different chicks from 3 different farms where it seems like their crop does not fill properly or fully regardless of having constant food available which seems to result in them not thriving as well as the other chicks in terms of growth. They were all supplemented with vitamins. Does anybody have experience with this? Is it related to a deficiency or just a genetic anomaly or perhaps a specific microbe? thanks!

 

[Debbie292d]

Hi!

How old are these chicks, and what is that you're feeding them?

Also, what's their bedding?

I personally have only seen it on one chick that's already got issues so now 4 months old, has lived in the house more than outside. She'll gobble up scrambled eggs like there's no tomorrow, but her feed some days gets barely touched.

 

[kimberly r]

Hi!

How old are these chicks, and what is that you're feeding them?

Also, what's their bedding?

I personally have only seen it on one chick that's already got issues so now 4 months old, has lived in the house more than outside. She'll gobble up scrambled eggs like there's no tomorrow, but her feed some days gets barely touched.

The first one was 8 weeks when we got him, but was already having the problem regardless of what we supplemented him with greens, sprouts, scrambled egg, bugs ect. and passed at 4 months. I have one that was hatched here but is now 8 weeks and trying the scrambled egg with kelp. I use non gmo starter with the appropriate age related steps there after. Hay or wood chips is used for bedding. I also add an immune booster tea (oregano,lemon balm, bay leaf, garlic) to their water diluted. Is this just something that can happen with the occasional chick?

 

[Debbie292d]

To have one pass at four months old can happen as we don't know if they maybe had some congenital defect, had a heart attack, etc. I would say it's rare, though. I'd be suspicious as to the genetics of that bird, and shy away from getting more from there. It sounds like you raised it very well and it still couldn't thrive.

I'd keep the hay out of there for now and introduce it later. I'd stick with just pine wood chips or pellets, not cedar.

You might try regular chick starter next time you need a bag, just to see if that makes a difference.

I would put some crumbles in a small heavy dish and wet it so it all gets wet, but not soppy wet. Ours think that's a treat. Maybe they'd eat it better that way. It's worth a shot.

 

[kimberly r]

To have one pass at four months old can happen as we don't know if they maybe had some congenital defect, had a heart attack, etc. I would say it's rare, though. I'd be suspicious as to the genetics of that bird, and shy away from getting more from there. It sounds like you raised it very well and it still couldn't thrive.

I'd keep the hay out of there for now and introduce it later. I'd stick with just pine wood chips or pellets, not cedar.

You might try regular chick starter next time you need a bag, just to see if that makes a difference.

I would put some crumbles in a small heavy dish and wet it so it all gets wet, but not soppy wet. Ours think that's a treat. Maybe they'd eat it better that way. It's worth a shot.

Good ideas, thank you. I will get a bag of the youngest chick starter and see if that helps and try the wet feed, maybe adding in some yogurt for probiotics. She gobbled up the scrambled egg with kelp I made today, so I will continue that also. I usually use the pine wood chips but start with hay the first week so as not to confuse their food with woodchips if it comes out of the feed container.