HELP~Big huge puff ball- my month year old amerecauna- is a big puff

[Veggie4life55]

Try to feed them raw eggs. When I can't get my chickens to eat anything else they will almost always eat raw egg! Hope that helps...

 

[Miss Lydia]

I hope she makes it, sometimes we just don't have the skill or knowledge to help them, I know it's been that way for me. Don't beat yourself up. if she is still eating and drinking then there is hope. and I believe pennicillin is for pneumonia. let us know how she is doing.

 

[Minniechickmama]

First I want to say STOP POKING A NEEDLE IN HIS CROP!!!!
Okay, now that I have your attention....
this sounds like a crop issue if the crop (the sac that holds the food before it goes into the gizzard to get ground up). The crop is located on the right side of the birds chest and will fill and protrude when it eats. If for some reason something like a big piece of corn or grass or other large something gets in there and doesn't move on to the gizzard, they can develop sour crop, which on a small chick like this one I don't think it very common, but I don't see why it couldn't happen. The crop gets squishy and gassy and they feel like poop, so they puff up and sit there. It would be an equivalent to a sour stomach for people and it is uncomfortable, I would imagine.
First, give it the apple cider vinegar in its water. you can give some of this with a dropper, but be careful you don't make it go down its airway or you have a whole other problem to deal with.
If this is the problem, you can hold the chick with his whole body pointing beak down, and massage the crop toward the beak. This will vomit out the sour crud in there.
Also, feed yogurt, plain, active culture yogurt. I wouldn't even feed it the egg just yet.
If you feel that this is something that Sulmet or Corid would take care of, this approach I am telling you will not hurt your little guy. You want to get the yeasts out of the crop though that are causing this gassy, squishy thing going on. The ACV helps with that. Make sure he is getting fluids though. Feed has stuff in it that will feed yeast and make things worse.
The reason I said stop poking the crop is because you can introduce a secondary infection at that sight. The crop has some nasties in there than can cause other tissue infection if it gets spread and you don't need to do that.
I have had 3 hens in the last year get sour crop and then one actually became impacted. I just released the 3rd one back to the flock 2 days ago after following the regiment of vomitting her for a few days to get all the grass out she ate (for some reason these Welsummers I have had just gorge themselves on grass in the spring), once I knew I had all the grass out, I gave her ACV water only for about 4 days. Then I gave her a few servings of yogurt and she devoured it. Then I slowly gave her chick crumbles. I switched feeds recently and the mash I get is almost like corn meal texture and it goes in very easily, whereas my old feed is coarsely ground mash and sometimes has kernels of corn still kicking around in it. Which grown chickens can handle usually.
The other thing I would suggest is make sure you have small grit for them. I actually mix a little in with the chick starter about once a week just to make sure everybody has some. Mine is just slightly coarser than sand, which some people mix with their chick feed.
I would be reluctant to thing it is Mareks because of the chicks age, but I am not saying that is not the problem. I like to stick with the most obvious symptoms first and treat them, and in this case it is that nasty little crop.
I hope that what I have told you can be of some help. I learned about sour crop early on and thank goodness I found BYC because even people around me who have had chickens for 20 years said "Sour crop? What is that?" I also had an eggbound hen in the same batch right after I got her and she had not even started laying. Poor girl. By the time I found out what was wrong it was too late.
Raising chickens can be frustrating and sad at times, but it is so rewarding when things go well.
Good luck.

 

[wannabchick]

Thanks everyone.. sad to say... he passed away sometime in the middle of the night.. between 4 am and 7 am
and yes.. if that area was the crop... and it was squishy, bubbly like.. and very very very different then any of my other chickens...
then I do beleive this had something to do with the crop..
last night he was still fluffed and just making happy sounds.. but if you touched his crop area.. he yelped.. which then.. leads me again.. this had something to do with that area?? he could have gotten into something too.. I dont know?? but its sad.. because he was gonna be soooooooooooo gorgeous.. and sweet as can be...!!!


Last night- I noticed he started having regular stool again.. but then around 3 am it was again.. all watery and white.. no other color to it..

I checked all my other flock again this morning.. no lethargy.. no puffing.. nothing..

I still had one month old amerecaunas also seperated from the other one month amercaunas due to not wanting to mix them up.. so I would know their ages and who was the breeding stock..

wowzer.. I just lost my first bird.. and I know these things happen, but I feel so awful!!!
thank you for all your love and support

Also is their a place you can ship them too.. for an autopsy just to find out why??
thank you

I also want to thank each of you.. that tried so hard to help me with him.. you have no idea.. how alone you feel.. with the lack of knowledge to help him... and yet here.. so many of you had tried to help and advise and share..... thank you all from the bottom of my heart!!!

 

[Minniechickmama]

You could send them to the State lab at VA State, but I don't really think you need to at this point. It is amazing with all the chickens around that so many survive.
If you were starting to see more than one have this problem, then by all means, send one it. However, just one is not cause for going that far.
I am sorry you lost him. With all the birds I have had around here the last 3 years, I still get an sick feeling when one dies or I have to put one down. The younger they are, the harder it is.
As for the poop, there is actually a poop page on here somewhere. Chickens can have a wide variety of the appearance of their feces and still have it considered normal. Seeing a bloody mucous once in a while isn't uncommon, but it you actually are seeing blood and a lot of it coming out, then that can be cause for alarm.

I think it it were a sour crop issue, being that he was so young would explain why he didn't last longer. They are growing so much and need those nutrients that are suddenly shut off. It is hard to see who much weight they lose too because their feathers are fluffy enough to hide it. (I just wish I had fluff to hide my fluff

)
Bury him in the garden where he can make beautiful things grow and go back to taking care of the survivors.
Sometimes you got to take the bad with the good.
Hey, your Pink Chick is still with ya, right?

Good luck and may all the rest of your flock be happy and healthy. From what I have come to know of you through your posts, you will properly spoil the heck out of them!

 

[stubbornhill]

So sad...

I'm sorry that you had to go through that. He was a handsome little guy.

 

[Minniechickmama]

Okay wannab- I just went to your BYC page, and you spoil the bajeebers out of those birds. I LOVE you chicken houses! But I do have to ask, how many times do you have to remove the dust from all those things inside, like the 'chandalier'? You are crazy, chick. lmao

 

[Tikkijane]

 

[jujubee]

So sad to hear he passed away.

I also went to your BYC page. ZOWEY! I lpve your Victotorian doll house/ chicken village ( and a little green w/ envy) but I have to ask you do YOU clean the decor yourself? Because my chicks would be up on those arborvites and chandalier like right now. Then poop all over them! I have so much to do that I would need a Oompa Loompa to climb up with a duster. I do the dish pan thing also but use sand. Works great.
I agree about having a necropsy done. If it happens again you will know what to do asap.
Happy Day and good luck with the rest of you peeps

 

[Miss Lydia]

wannab, I am so sorry to hear you lost him, you tried very hard to figure out what was wrong and help him. I wish i could have been more help to you, sorry

. I am sure he knew you loved and cared for him.. Bless you!