Help....little chick sick...sour crop?

[Quillgirl]

Sometimes nothing will work. I have a hen that is prone to sour crop. I cure it and a few months later it returns. Just something she will battle her whole life, and I'm sure it will be a shorter life because of this. Because your chick is having problems keeping food down, you have to make sure it's really nutritious food. Some people swear by baby parrot food. Very high in calories and easy to digest. Pet stores often have it.

So far as putting the chick with the others, be cautious. The others may turn on her and peck her to death, sensing her illness. It's a chicken thing... I suggest putting a small stuffed animal or feather duster in with her to keep her company. Less stressful than competing with healthy flockmates.

As far as eggs: I usually scramble them and chop them up.
Baby food: the carrots are probably fine. Mix with the egg and plain yogurt. Maybe even put in a blender to make a smoothie that the chick can eat.

 

[watersoflethe]

no i dont think its impaction
i think she had a sour crop (reading the websites you gave me)
and then with my massaging she managed to throw most of it up
but the process exhausted her and now she can't seem to keep food down
any ideas on how to help her?

here's the picture

this is the best i can get. she wont stand up any more

and she 's completely separated now since the other chicks step all over her now

 

[artsyrobin]

poor little thing

i would hold off massaging at this point, and try to keep her hydrated, try a few drop of the gruel again and just hold her- that would be a comfort to her, may help her relax a little, maybe help keep some food in her- i am going to have to go out for about an hour- but i have posted on another forum here hoping folks can come over and help you- praying for the little one

 

[watersoflethe]

thank you very much
i'm praying for her right now i think that''s all that's left

 

[watersoflethe]

thank you very much for all your help

my poor chick just passed away


for future reference for other people who have similiar problems i would recommend this that should've tried from the beginning.

1. rather than massage the crop until it empties i would massage it once then leave the chick for a day or two before trying again.
my poor chick emptied her entire crop out in about 5 throw ups and i think that made her too exhausted to survive.

2. i would mix the pedialyte with the egg yolk and give that rather than feed mixed with water which made her unable to keep things down.

3. i would separate them from the other chicks as early as possible since the other chicks tire the sick one out.

4. if it hasn't been that long since you found the sour crop i would just try vinegar water and separating and feeding soft foods first before massaging the crop. my chick didn't aspirate but the process seems to be extremely draining on them.

this is what i learned and will try different if this ever happens again.
it is a very sad thing for such a young animal to die.


now it is almost 7 in the morning and i must get some sleep since i was up the entire night with her. i was holding her the moment she passed away. at least i got to do that.

thank you for everyone that offered their help. i hope my mistake here can help you save a chick the next time.

thank you for your support through this.


plus does anyone know what kind of breed she is? so i could at least know that? the feathers that she grew are spotted white and black

 

[Quillgirl]

OH.... so very sorry. You did everything you could possibly do for her.

 

[watersoflethe]

thank you

for other people besides the ones already mentioned this is a good website on impacted and sour crops

http://www.greenmuze.com/blogs/green-muzings/2208-chicken-impacted-crop-or-sour-crop.html

 

[Kmf]

So sorry for your loss! I was praying for your poor little chick all morning and following your posts. You did all that you could for her and she knew that she was loved.

 

[artsyrobin]

I am so sorry!!! I do wild bird rescue also, and one thing a vet told me was that sometimes we are meant to be there as hospice, to give them a secure and loving environment in their limitted time- the other thing i think is important, each little teaches us something- i am going to save your suggestions in a file for future reference- thank you for sharing her with us! you are very special to go to the length you did...

 

[herefordlovinglady]

i am so sorry, you did the best you could and you have learned and taught so much through this experience.

artsyrobin, i hope you are around if i ever have a problem, you did such good work helping her with this chick.