Hi there,
Alright, so I am stumped as to what may be going on with my little chick and am finally reaching out to the Backyard community...please oh please help me figure this out!
Here are her stats:
-2 week old female, wing feathers, some back feathers, some tail feathers (about the same as the rest)
-Shipped up to Alaska from the Midwest (so a stressful trip)
-Flockmates are all healthy (after losing a handful in the beginning from the stress of the trip)
-She's a hybrid breed (a "bluebell" super layer from Cedar Creek Hatchery)
-Never been around adult birds, only with flockmates all same age, in same brooder (pine shavings, perfect temps, etc.)
-She is independent, stubborn and persistent on living which I LOVE about her...the others are NOT picking on her one bit.
-She eats and drinks just fine if she can stay standing...still seeks it out, will to live, etc.
Here are her initial symptoms over the last 5 or so days:
-FOUL-SMELLING: have had issues with crop being impacted, but gave her olive oil and massage and that cleared up, but still just has a stinkiness to her especially compared to the other chicks. She has been foul smelling pretty much from the 5th day of life on.
-INFLAMED nostrils...one of them is much worse. There is almost like a scab blocking the nostril and around that it's swollen and a bit red, with what looks like tiny creamish bumps. Almost looked like a little pus sac, I tried to mess with it, but was really hard to the touch.
-IMBALANCE: stumbles around, would completely fall over if she moved too fast and sometimes would lay on side, eventually gets back up. This has improved however over the last 24 hours...she still stumbles a bit, almost seems a bit hard of seeing, but not as bad as it was two days ago.
-Smaller than the rest, feathers not as healthy looking, she tries to stretch her wings out with her leg under it, but loses her balance. So I think her unkempt look is more from not being able to groom herself without losing balance.
What I've done so far over the last 3 days:
-Probiotics, Bragg's ACV and extra vitamins are in the water for all chicks, but I have given her more via eyedropper (including extra B vitas), including a drop of colloidal silver morning and night as well.
-Separated her for half a day (she HATED it, missed her friends), watched her poop (all normal), put her back in (none of the others are showing any of her symptoms) and she simply loves being with her mates.
-Clean nostrils with peroxide (with Qtip, careful not to get liquid down her nostrils, just lightly swabbing to clean), then swab with colloidal silver. They are still swollen, but that pussy/creamish green area is no longer that color, but instead a dark bloody scab color. I swab with silver 3x a day now.
What's happening now:
I think she's improving, but that nostril infection/inflammation is still there. It starts right at the edge of her nostril closest to eye and moves toward eye on her fleshy part (not touching her comb area), but not at all right next to her eye. It's just reddish with maybe some of those tiny little dots here and there. She has no eye problems, no watery or any kind of discharge from eyes or nose or mouth, no pasty butt, Her imbalance isn't quite so bad today, she has a healthy appetite (and healthy feeling crop), I watch her eat and drink, she hasn't had a full on falling over today, which is definite improvement. I am just plain stumped as to what it could be. Her legs/tendons/toes are all perfectly fine and healthy, it just seems like she has a brain problem or some kind of infection affecting her balance.
I am not going to take her to a vet (we don't even have one here for birds) and I'm not going to kill her...I want to keep treating her naturally and hope that her little independent, go-getting self and immune system will carry her through! But if any of you have insight, I would be very grateful!
Oh yes, and of course I've named her which I promised I wouldn't do in case she dies...Petunia Picklecrop.
Alright, so I am stumped as to what may be going on with my little chick and am finally reaching out to the Backyard community...please oh please help me figure this out!
Here are her stats:
-2 week old female, wing feathers, some back feathers, some tail feathers (about the same as the rest)
-Shipped up to Alaska from the Midwest (so a stressful trip)
-Flockmates are all healthy (after losing a handful in the beginning from the stress of the trip)
-She's a hybrid breed (a "bluebell" super layer from Cedar Creek Hatchery)
-Never been around adult birds, only with flockmates all same age, in same brooder (pine shavings, perfect temps, etc.)
-She is independent, stubborn and persistent on living which I LOVE about her...the others are NOT picking on her one bit.
-She eats and drinks just fine if she can stay standing...still seeks it out, will to live, etc.
Here are her initial symptoms over the last 5 or so days:
-FOUL-SMELLING: have had issues with crop being impacted, but gave her olive oil and massage and that cleared up, but still just has a stinkiness to her especially compared to the other chicks. She has been foul smelling pretty much from the 5th day of life on.
-INFLAMED nostrils...one of them is much worse. There is almost like a scab blocking the nostril and around that it's swollen and a bit red, with what looks like tiny creamish bumps. Almost looked like a little pus sac, I tried to mess with it, but was really hard to the touch.
-IMBALANCE: stumbles around, would completely fall over if she moved too fast and sometimes would lay on side, eventually gets back up. This has improved however over the last 24 hours...she still stumbles a bit, almost seems a bit hard of seeing, but not as bad as it was two days ago.
-Smaller than the rest, feathers not as healthy looking, she tries to stretch her wings out with her leg under it, but loses her balance. So I think her unkempt look is more from not being able to groom herself without losing balance.
What I've done so far over the last 3 days:
-Probiotics, Bragg's ACV and extra vitamins are in the water for all chicks, but I have given her more via eyedropper (including extra B vitas), including a drop of colloidal silver morning and night as well.
-Separated her for half a day (she HATED it, missed her friends), watched her poop (all normal), put her back in (none of the others are showing any of her symptoms) and she simply loves being with her mates.
-Clean nostrils with peroxide (with Qtip, careful not to get liquid down her nostrils, just lightly swabbing to clean), then swab with colloidal silver. They are still swollen, but that pussy/creamish green area is no longer that color, but instead a dark bloody scab color. I swab with silver 3x a day now.
What's happening now:
I think she's improving, but that nostril infection/inflammation is still there. It starts right at the edge of her nostril closest to eye and moves toward eye on her fleshy part (not touching her comb area), but not at all right next to her eye. It's just reddish with maybe some of those tiny little dots here and there. She has no eye problems, no watery or any kind of discharge from eyes or nose or mouth, no pasty butt, Her imbalance isn't quite so bad today, she has a healthy appetite (and healthy feeling crop), I watch her eat and drink, she hasn't had a full on falling over today, which is definite improvement. I am just plain stumped as to what it could be. Her legs/tendons/toes are all perfectly fine and healthy, it just seems like she has a brain problem or some kind of infection affecting her balance.
I am not going to take her to a vet (we don't even have one here for birds) and I'm not going to kill her...I want to keep treating her naturally and hope that her little independent, go-getting self and immune system will carry her through! But if any of you have insight, I would be very grateful!
Oh yes, and of course I've named her which I promised I wouldn't do in case she dies...Petunia Picklecrop.
