New chicken mom - please help

jjanna1226

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Hi! I have 1 month old chicks and one of the silkies is much smaller and isn’t growing at the same pace. A couple days ago she was acting very tired and when I looked at her butt it was covered in white poop. I’ve always had the chicks on chick boost electrolytes in the water to try to avoid this. I have her separated from the others and been giving her daily baths. And now I’ve been giving her chicken e-lixer by strong animals. If this doesn’t work I don’t know what else to do.
 

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When I was cleaning her butt, it looked like saliva came out of her mouth. Am I holding her wrong to clean her butt?
 
She also has a strong smell that reminds me of kidney disease bc it’s ammoniaish. Anything I can do? She has 2 kinds of water available. One plain and another one with additives with electrolytes
 
I would not recommend bathing a chick. Getting them wet is very stressful. I use a baby wipe or wet paper towel if I need to clean their butt. The ammonia smell is concerning. I will tag some experts for you @azygous @Wyorp Rock
 
Two symptoms you mentioned, the white poop and regurgitation from the crop, point to a yeast infection. It's not that simple, though. There is almost always something else going on when you run into a yeast infection in chickens.

The fact that she's smaller tells us she is likely a failure to thrive chick. This means she likely has congenital defects, usually immature organs, and she isn't processing calories efficiently. In addition, the digestive tract is also probably deficient, thus the yeast.

First, treat the yeast with women's vaginal yeast cream, miconazole. Buy it where the women's hygiene products are shelved. Pry open the beak and squirt a little cream into the right side of the beak two times a day for seven full days. Meanwhile, keep the butt clean by gently wiping with a soft wash cloth.

I would back off on the electrolytes. These can build up salts in the body, especially small chicks, and cause other problems. Despite the hype from companies that make them, daily use is not recommended, only to be used in times of stress.

A failure to thrive chick might be saved with special feedings of extra protein a few times a week. Soft boiled egg or crumbled tofu are my choices.
 
Two symptoms you mentioned, the white poop and regurgitation from the crop, point to a yeast infection. It's not that simple, though. There is almost always something else going on when you run into a yeast infection in chickens.

The fact that she's smaller tells us she is likely a failure to thrive chick. This means she likely has congenital defects, usually immature organs, and she isn't processing calories efficiently. In addition, the digestive tract is also probably deficient, thus the yeast.

First, treat the yeast with women's vaginal yeast cream, miconazole. Buy it where the women's hygiene products are shelved. Pry open the beak and squirt a little cream into the right side of the beak two times a day for seven full days. Meanwhile, keep the butt clean by gently wiping with a soft wash cloth.

I would back off on the electrolytes. These can build up salts in the body, especially small chicks, and cause other problems. Despite the hype from companies that make them, daily use is not recommended, only to be used in times of stress.

A failure to thrive chick might be saved with special feedings of extra protein a few times a week. Soft boiled egg or crumbled tofu are my choices.
I was just wondering if Greek yogurt might be worth a try since I have some on hand?
 

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