Five day old with possible crop impactation

[chickflick23]

This morning one of my easter eggers had a bump and I thought oh no this one has a tumor. Well it has gotten bigger in the last few hours and is hard as a rock. I gave her a little coconut oil and I'm massaging it but is there anything else I can do for her?

 

[Sambi89]

Where is this bump? Can you take a picture? Is it a bite? How many chicks to you have and how big of an area are they in?

 

[chickflick23]

I will try to upload a photo. I have three now six day olds. I have them in a brooder that's 18x30. Yesterday it was just the one so I took out all the pine bedding and gave them the coconut oil and laid down unbleached absorb paper. They are eating and pooping fine but now all three have the bump. The first ones is very hard. Then second ones soft like filled with fluid. and now the third just has a squishie bump. I have nine two month olds in my coop that I used this same brooder and same non gmo food and had nothing like this.
Thank you so much for your help.

 

[chickflick23]

 

[Eggcessive]

How is the chick acting? Try to dip it's beak into water if it is not drinking well. Sometimes the crop will become blocked with pine shavings if they eat them. Water and crop massage is about all you can do for this. If the chick is acting normally, recheck the crop in a few hours to see if it is just food in there.

 

[chickflick23]

Thank you. All the chicks are acting normal. I did remove the pine yesterday. I've since read that if they eat a lot it will bludge, so I'm not too worried about #2 and #3 but my first one its rock hard. She's drinking and still eating! I took her food away and put some yoghurt on a plate? Not sure if that's the best but I keep massaging her and hope it passes.

 

[Sambi89]

You may also want to look into grit to help break it down. That's just my instinct though not sure if it would really help. . . Good luck and keep us posted. But also as long as they are acting normal I wouldn't worry too much. Sometimes chicks eat shavings but the crop doesn't look huge to me just a little bump. I once had a chick eat so much her crop almost touched the ground when she walked. It looked like a tumor and you could actually see the food through her skin it was so full and stretched out. The next morning it was gone and she ate almost as much again that day. This hen is a big ol pig still just in case you were curious. But try not too worry too much unless she starts acting sick.

 

[chickflick23]

Thanks Sambi89 I will toss some starter grit in there Your right, it's funny how they have their personality from the get go I will keep you posted.

 

[Eggcessive]

I would keep pushing the water. Chicks usually don't need grit if eating only chick starter. Yogurt contains probiotics, but chickens shouldn't have much dairy since they don't have the enzymes to digest it well, and it will not help a crop impaction. When I first get new chicks, I put them on paper towels for the first few days, and sprinkle chick crumbles around on the clean part. After they learn what their feed is, then I put them on pine shavings, and the larger flakes work better. I hope your chick's crop soon softens.

 

[casportpony]

Please don't give any oil, just give it water, pedialyte or Gatorade.

-Kathy