I have a baby chick named Andrew (almost 1 month old), I've never had a pet before and I love him so much as I've incubated and was with him through day 1. He is a house / tamed chicken so therefor he always has clean fresh water and food. I've even caught him bugs to eat and have provided him and his brother Sam, with all their daily needs and basic necessities. Last night I've gone to bed early and let my brother take care of him, this afternoon when I've finally let him roam around i realized the side of his face seems inflated/burnt/crusty (idk the feathers surrounding doesn't look right like its wet). He is really ill and I cannot stop crying, so I'm asking you please tell me what i can do, here are the symptoms. Mucus/Slimy substance in mouth Unable to eat (Because of mucus) Distorted throat Excessively tired/sleepy Very weak (doesn't even care if i grab his beak anymore) Every time he swallows his throat would pop out or something Cracking noise when he swallows Isolated Unsteady Slow Cracking/Crunching noises from his neck when he tries to eat chick feeder I'm not very competent in raising chickens, I've never really had a pet and I have 0 knowledge about chickens besides some basic facts like food/water/heat. I made this BYC account to educate myself, but just this time i actually need to make a help thread. I live near the city and the only pet store is for dogs and cats, taking him to the vet is not an option right now. If there is nothing I can do to help him then my last option is to lay in bed and hug him until he passes away.
What do you mean by 'his throat would pop out'? If the feathers on his face are wet then it could be an infection. What was fed to him last night? And do you only have the two chicks? Based on your info, I don't think it's a contagious virus. I'll do all I can to help.
The wet side of his face doesn't look right, his whole neck doesn't look right. He WANTS to eat but he cant force the food down. 1. Being there is mucus in his mouth 2. He cant get it down because of his neck. When he eats something his neck would pop out then back to normal (repetitively if he tries to eat). Even if I buy Apple Cider and add it into his water supply would it even cure that neck problem? I've felt around and there is a big of a long lump there, I believe that lump pops in and out when he moves his head to try and eat the small bits of rice I feed him. I've tried researching and can't find any solution to this problem. No one seems to want to help me and my poor chicken is dying from starvation, I feel so useless and regretful right now.
sounds like he ate something that wasn't food If it was me I would try to work it up and out nice and slowly, but I do hope that someone comes on that has dealt with this before. Good luck
Thank you, when I try and examine his neck he would just rest it in between my fingers and sleep. I try my best to clean his mouth of the mucus and feed him but his tongue is a flop and lifeless. I've read that dehydration will kill the bird faster than the initial illness but I'm afraid I will drown him if I try and give him water.
