Sick baby chick

[Kirbyroberts]

Hi! I have never raised chickens before and now I have 5 chicks, a Guinea and 2 ducks and I love them all dearly but one of my chicks has fallen sick and I'm not sure what is wrong with her/how to make her better.

She is an ISA brown between 4-5 weeks old (doesn't have all her head feathers yet) and she has been extremely lethargic and not eating or drinking and her poop is a watery yelllow color. Her crop has been swollen so I think she might have sour crop but I have been massaging her crop and giving her olive oil and apple cider vinegar in her water (which I fed to her with a eye dropper). It has been 3 days now and I'm not seeing a huge improvement. She seems a little more chirpy today but still very sleepy but she refuses to lay down and sleep she stays standing up. I picked her up when I got home this evening and massaged her crop and she threw up quite a bit and I'm hoping that will get whatever was in her crop out but she is still sleepy and I'm not sure if I should feed her water with electrolytes and probiotics in it or keep up with the olive oil.

Also I just noticed a little bit of a runny nose and I think it might be from vomiting earlier but I'm not sure if it's discharge or leftover vomit.

If anyone has experienced anything like this or similar please let me know how you handled it. I will do anything I can. I purchased some wazinen bc I thought she might have a parasite but I'm not she if I should use that or not.

All take all and any advice and specifics in measurements and whatever is much appreciated. I love my little Butter and I don't want to see her go but I also don't want to see her suffer

 

[azygous]

She's terribly young for sour crop. If the swollen crop is more hard than squishy, it's probably impacted.

Do you have a stool softener? (Docusate Sodium 100mg) How about coconut oil?

First of all, do you detect a putrid sour odor coming from this chick? I would stop the ACV for the time being. The crop is no doubt acidic enough without it.

I'll stand by waiting for your answer.

 

[azygous]

Well, I guess I need to go on without your reply.

If this sick chick has been getting treats but hasn't had access to grit, there's a good chance it has impacted crop. If the chick has had access to outside and has been eating a lot of grass, it likely has impacted crop.

On the other hand, if the chick has been getting a lot of sugary, starchy treats such as cookies and bread or biscuits, it likely has sour crop.

Sour crop and impacted crop can occur at the same time, but you need to treat them separately.

First the impaction needs to be resolved. I like coconut oil over other oils. It's much easier and safer to administer in its solid form. I slip a half a teaspoon full of the solid oil into the chick's beak and massage the crop for a couple of minutes. Wait half an hour and repeat.

On the third time you give the oil, slip a soft gel cap of stool softener into the chick's beak. Wait a half an hour and massage in a circular and upward motion. By now you should feel the mass break up and empty the crop.

If you detect a sour odor coming from the chick, it likely has sour crop in addition to the impacted crop. You will need to treat the yeast infection with Nystatin or miconazole. Miconazole is easier to obtain at any pharmacy. The Nystatin requires a prescription.

 

[Kirbyroberts]

Hi, thank you so much for all your advice! My guess is it was the grass because I didn't give her treats at all but I let her run around outside with her sisters. Unfortunately she passed last night so I will not be able to try the coconut oil or stool softener but I appreciate the advice and now I know if any other of my chicks get sick with that.

Also to answer your previous question I did not particularly smell a sour smell from her but her crop was definitely swollen and it seemed more squishy than hard but I'm new at this so I'm not sure. I wish I could've tried the coconut oil I miss her so much already!

Is it common for chicks to get sick and die at a young age?

 

[azygous]

I'm sorry to hear you lost her. Yes, sadly, chicks can die suddenly like that. They especially seem to find ways to get themselves into things that tend to kill them, almost like they have a death wish.

I lost a chick early this past summer after it had been grazing on grass with its broody mama. It got hold of contaminated grit or grass and died of neuro toxin poisoning. The grass it was after was under a leaky log splitter.

 

[4 Georgia Hens]

I am so sorry for your loss!