Puffed Chick

[AmberMoonFlower]

Hi. I'm newer to chicks, so I'm trying to be proactive. We have 14 chicks ranging from 2 weeks to 8 weeks, not all together but cages are next to each other to socialize before mixing. I have a chick 3.5 week old that looks a little disheveled, puffed up and neck retracted, which isn't usual. I have not noticed any blood in any poop but I went ahead and started dosing all chicks with Corid to be sure. 2.5ml in 1 qt of their water. All chicks were already on medicated feed. Their waters are honestly cleaned about 5 times a day (morning, ice 2-3 times midday, then before bed), because of the pine shavings and poop, I didn't want to take risks with dirty water. They have their cages cleaned every other day about. I add grit to pine shavings and food.

Separating... I tried separating it yesterday and it never stopped crying. I felt like it wasn't good for it and thought since I was treating them all with medicine... it might be ok. Should I just stand my ground and separate? Sorry if I made the wrong call.

Symptoms:
Puffed up
Neck does not extend out.
Still drinking and eating.
Less energetic
Sleeps standing up, won't lay with others.
Squishy crop
No pasty butt
No blood in feathers or poop
No sneezing
(I don't see lice or mites that I can tell, any tips on how to spot those?)

Thanks so much for any advice or help.
(It's the little ginger brown one in between the grey ones.)

 

[azygous]

First, put the chick back with the others. There is no reason it needs to be separated, and separation is stressing it on top of its other problems.

Your chick is likely a failure-to-thrive (FTT) chick. FTTs have immature organs that fail to efficiently convert nutrients to body heat and cell growth. They need a helping hand to finish development.

The treatment is supplemental foods that are high in protein yet easily digested. When I have a FTT they stay with their mates and all the chicks get daily treats of crumbled tofu or finely minced boiled egg since the sick chick is stimulated by the others to eat. Poultry Nutri-drench provides a valuable assist in these cases as it bypasses the liver, not needing to be metabolized. It goes directly into the blood stream and works nearly instantly. I sprinkle it over the food and all the chicks can eat it.

 

[AmberMoonFlower]

First, put the chick back with the others. There is no reason it needs to be separated, and separation is stressing it on top of its other problems.

Your chick is likely a failure-to-thrive (FTT) chick. FTTs have immature organs that fail to efficiently convert nutrients to body heat and cell growth. They need a helping hand to finish development.

The treatment is supplemental foods that are high in protein yet easily digested. When I have a FTT they stay with their mates and all the chicks get daily treats of crumbled tofu or finely minced boiled egg since the sick chick is stimulated by the others to eat. Poultry Nutri-drench provides a valuable assist in these cases as it bypasses the liver, not needing to be metabolized. It goes directly into the blood stream and works nearly instantly. I sprinkle it over the food and all the chicks can eat it.

Chick was only separated for a few hours so thankfully it's been back with the group since yesterday. This morning it's been stretching its wings, walking around pecking, drinking, likes to stand in the sun streams, and got really excited about eating when the food container lid was taken off. It stretches it's neck a little to peck but mostly keeps it retracted. I wonder if it could have gotten hurt while eating through the holes for the food. Anyways, I will provide some nutritious food and get the nutridrench. Thank you for your advice!

 

[Banana01]

I recently wrote an article on treating mites, hopefully it can answer your questions.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/treating-individual-chickens-for-mites.77713/

Hi. I'm newer to chicks, so I'm trying to be proactive. We have 14 chicks ranging from 2 weeks to 8 weeks, not all together but cages are next to each other to socialize before mixing. I have a chick 3.5 week old that looks a little disheveled, puffed up and neck retracted, which isn't usual. I have not noticed any blood in any poop but I went ahead and started dosing all chicks with Corid to be sure. 2.5ml in 1 qt of their water. All chicks were already on medicated feed. Their waters are honestly cleaned about 5 times a day (morning, ice 2-3 times midday, then before bed), because of the pine shavings and poop, I didn't want to take risks with dirty water. They have their cages cleaned every other day about. I add grit to pine shavings and food.

Separating... I tried separating it yesterday and it never stopped crying. I felt like it wasn't good for it and thought since I was treating them all with medicine... it might be ok. Should I just stand my ground and separate? Sorry if I made the wrong call.

Symptoms:
Puffed up
Neck does not extend out.
Still drinking and eating.
Less energetic
Sleeps standing up, won't lay with others.
Squishy crop
No pasty butt
No blood in feathers or poop
No sneezing
(I don't see lice or mites that I can tell, any tips on how to spot those?)

Thanks so much for any advice or help.
(It's the little ginger brown one in between the grey ones.)

I wrote an article on treating for mites, includes instructions for searching for them. i hope it will help. There are some pictures of what the mite infestations look like, the red and orangish colored clusters. You have to look for them and the only way to know is to spot the red or orange dots or clusters.

But as you are newer, you need to get your first aid kit together and the first thing is to find a dewormer and also an external antiparasitic medication, usually ivermectin. The medicines go by different brand names in the united states like safeguard.

Leave a review on the article hopefully it helps you, but i just wrote it so I havent had a chance to edit it too much.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/treating-individual-chickens-for-mites.77713/