Help food sticking to roof of chicks mouth

[Camry08]

I have a five week old silkie chick that seems to be failing to thrive. Since she’s about the size of a two day old. Today I had a choking scare with her. I noticed she was gasping, had wet mashed feed sticking out of the corners of her mouth and had liquid and bubbles spilling out of her mouth I didn’t know what to do so I tried scraping out some of the food stuck to the roof of her mouth with some tweezers. Since then I’ve been checking her every couple hours and l going in and scraping her mouth out with the tweezers, but she keeps getting globs of like jellybean sized amounts of wet mashed food filling her mouth. I’m worried she’ll choke if it gets too big what do I do?

I’m also really struggling with her eyes crusting over and the mounds of dry skin building up on the side of her mouth. She’s a showgirl and she’s shedding like a snake I’ve been putting bag bomb on her but all the old dead skin is starting to look gross. Do I need to wipe her down in some warm water and hope it works the dead skin off? Can she handle that? Does anyone have any meds they would recommend or antibiotics. I don’t know what I’m dealing with. My other showgirls silkies skin is fine, sometimes a little flaky but they are babies under a brooder lamp so I expected as much but I’m at a loss for this one.

 

[azygous]

The photo shows accurately that the esophagus, where food and water go, is on the chicken's right side of their throat. See the hole in the center of the throat? That is the airway. If food and water get into that hole, the chicken can die.

When I syringe fluids into a small chick, I hold the chick in my left (weak) hand, I slip a fingernail into the beak to pry it open and hold it open with my left hand. Then I slip the syringe into the chick's right side of the beak, sliding the syringe right against the side of the mouth, and you will feel the syringe easily go into the esophagus. Then you can push the liquid out of the syringe and it goes right into the crop, which is attached to the esophagus.

I hope that is detailed enough.

 

[azygous]

If the wet food gets stuck in her mouth, then stop feeding it and switch to dry. You need to post some pics because this sounds more like canker, a protozoa infection, than simply food accumulating in her mouth. If you have pigeons hanging around, that would lend weight to this being trichomoniasis.

 

[Camry08]

If the wet food gets stuck in her mouth, then stop feeding it and switch to dry. You need to post some pics because this sounds more like canker, a protozoa infection, than simply food accumulating in her mouth. If you have pigeons hanging around, that would lend weight to this being trichomoniasis.

She is on dry food I’m not sure how it gets so wet in her mouth. No haven’t had any pigeons around town for 5 years we have like 2 doves that hang out outside sometimes but I’ve only brought the chicks into the grass once and she was struggling long before that. This food thing and gasping only started yesterday but she’s getting week quickly I’m not sure what to do she’s almost 6 weeks old now I thought I was almost in the clear. Her eyes look really puffy in the pics too

 

[azygous]

The chick is weak due to starvation. Give her sugar water to give her some strength. Very likely her throat is gummed up and she can't swallow. She needs an antibiotic called metronidazole. You will may need to ask a vet for a prescription.You could call around to shops that sell aquarium fish supplies. They might carry it. You can order it online https://jedds.com/products/metronidazole-capsules?_pos=1&_sid=7bed74161&_ss=r but I doubt you'd get it before the chicks dies.

You need to open the beak and take tweezers and clear the throat so the chick can breathe and also swallow. If the chick continues without treatment, it will die.

 

[Camry08]

The chick is weak due to starvation. Give her sugar water to give her some strength. Very likely her throat is gummed up and she can't swallow. She needs an antibiotic called metronidazole. You will may need to ask a vet for a prescription.You could call around to shops that sell aquarium fish supplies. They might carry it. You can order it online https://jedds.com/products/metronidazole-capsules?_pos=1&_sid=7bed74161&_ss=r but I doubt you'd get it before the chicks dies.

You need to open the beak and take tweezers and clear the throat so the chick can breathe and also swallow. If the chick continues without treatment, it will die.

Okay I’ll try to get her some tomorrow. How should I go about giving her this? And how much?

 

[azygous]

I would divide a 250mg capsule into four doses. Give the one-fourth dose (per day) dissolved in 1ml of water and syringe it into her beak like this. Notice the esophagus is on the right side of the throat.

 

[Camry08]

I would divide a 250mg capsule into four doses. Give the one-fourth dose (per day) dissolved in 1ml of water and syringe it into her beak like this. Notice the esophagus is on the right side of the throat.View attachment 3525093

Hey sorry just need one more clarification so would I syringe feed the chic on the right side with the esophagus or left side not in esophagus! Sorry if that seems like a silly question! Thank you so much for your response and time!!!

 

[Camry08]

The photo shows accurately that the esophagus, where food and water go, is on the chicken's right side of their throat. See the hole in the center of the throat? That is the airway. If food and water get into that hole, the chicken can die.

When I syringe fluids into a small chick, I hold the chick in my left (weak) hand, I slip a fingernail into the beak to pry it open and hold it open with my left hand. Then I slip the syringe into the chick's right side of the beak, sliding the syringe right against the side of the mouth, and you will feel the syringe easily go into the esophagus. Then you can push the liquid out of the syringe and it goes right into the crop, which is attached to the esophagus.

I hope that is detailed enough.

Yes definitely detailed enough thank you! We were able to get it thanks to a local vet and she’s currently on her second day of taking it. She has a very runny bum now and has been SCREAMING nonstop since yesterday but she’s kicking which is all I can ask for. I have just one last question, how long should I treat her for with this antibiotic? I have 15 days worth but can get a refill.

 

[azygous]

Give her the full prescription. Meanwhile, inspect her throat each day to be sure the plaque isn't blocking her swallowing and breathing. If you need to, scrape away enough to clear the throat even if it causes bleeding.