Sick baby chick

[Theerwinhomestead]

Hey there, I have a baby chick who is almost a week old. She seems lethargic, her wings are droopy, she has this click when she breaths and I noticed a lump near her right breast.... any help? I’m afraid she is going to die. She just kind of stands and the other ones are running around her, if she gets bumped into she seems like she doesn’t have balance. Any help or advice would be appreciated. Thanks!

 

[Chloe+chickens=LOVE]

Do you have any pictures? And the lump on her breast is most likely just food in her crop

 

[danceswithronin]

Hey there, I have a baby chick who is almost a week old. She seems lethargic, her wings are droopy, she has this click when she breaths and I noticed a lump near her right breast.... any help? I’m afraid she is going to die. She just kind of stands and the other ones are running around her, if she gets bumped into she seems like she doesn’t have balance. Any help or advice would be appreciated. Thanks!

How is her butt? Does she have poop on it? Pasty butt can cause a chick to go downhill very quickly if it can't eliminate.

The click when she breathes sounds like of like aspiration pneumonia, which makes me wonder if one of the other chicks might have shoved her head in the waterer or something and made her inhale water.

What are you watering them out of?

I would get her on some Nutridrench or Rooster Booster, and see if you can't get some antibiotics from the vet (like Clavamox) in case it is pneumonia. If a vet is not an option, you could try to grind up some amoxicillin tablets (the kind they sell at petstores for aquarium use, like this: https://www.chewy.com/fish-aid-anti...MItujDsdXk4QIVV4GzCh23_AqHEAQYASABEgKud_D_BwE) and put some in her water. Amoxicillin dose for chickens is 125mg/kg twice a day or 100mg/kg three times a day.

 

[azygous]

Relax about the lump on the right side of the chick's breast. It's the crop. But feel it. If it's hard like a walnut, it's likely impacted. Giving a half teaspoon of oil is the treatment, along with gentle crop massage.

Have you checked the chick's vent for clogs of poop? If a vent is pasted over, the chick can't poop, and it will get backed up, causing it to appear weak and lethargic.

If all those check out as being normal and functional, the chick could be a FTT, failure-to-thrive. You will need to give it tepid sugar water with Poultry Nutri-drench mixed in for a few daysalong with minced boiled egg or crumbled tofu.

 

[Theerwinhomestead]

How is her butt? Does she have poop on it? Pasty butt can cause a chick to go downhill very quickly if it can't eliminate.

The click when she breathes sounds like of like aspiration pneumonia, which makes me wonder if one of the other chicks might have shoved her head in the waterer or something and made her inhale water.

What are you watering them out of?

So yes! Pasty butt. I cleaned her off just today but I checked them all Saturday and their butts were fine. Is there anything I can do for her now since I’ve cleaned her?

Hmm that’s interesting about the water. Is there anything can do for the pneumonia?

Thanks for the quick reply.

 

[dehowery]

So yes! Pasty butt. I cleaned her off just today but I checked them all Saturday and their butts were fine. Is there anything I can do for her now since I’ve cleaned her?

Hmm that’s interesting about the water. Is there anything can do for the pneumonia?

Thanks for the quick reply.

For the pasty butt use petroleum jelly rubbed on her butt , just a little to keep it lubricated.

 

[danceswithronin]

So yes! Pasty butt. I cleaned her off just today but I checked them all Saturday and their butts were fine. Is there anything I can do for her now since I’ve cleaned her?

Hmm that’s interesting about the water. Is there anything can do for the pneumonia?

Thanks for the quick reply.

Nope, I would just check her butt 2-3 times a day at least until she gets better, it doesn't take long for them to get sick from a bowel impaction due to not being able to poop.

In all likelihood aspiration pneumonia won't resolve itself if that's the problem causing the clicking breathing, it'll require antibiotics. The chick's immune system isn't strong enough to fight off an infection like that alone, and in a young chick it'll bring them down quickly too. I'd get a prescription from a vet if you're not opposed to paying vet bills on a chicken, or otherwise dose her with some pet-store grade amoxicillin. It is difficult to overdose on an antibiotic, so if the measurements aren't completely exact you will probably still be okay.

Offering scrambled eggs might also encourage the chick to eat and give it a little extra strength.

I'd also keep this chick separated from the others, so you can medicate its food and drink separately too.

 

[Theerwinhomestead]

Relax about the lump on the right side of the chick's breast. It's the crop. But feel it. If it's hard like a walnut, it's likely impacted. Giving a half teaspoon of oil is the treatment, along with gentle crop massage.

Have you checked the chick's vent for clogs of poop? If a vent is pasted over, the chick can't poop, and it will get backed up, causing it to appear weak and lethargic.

If all those check out as being normal and functional, the chick could be a FTT, failure-to-thrive. You will need to give it tepid sugar water with Poultry Nutri-drench mixed in for a few daysalong with minced boiled egg or crumbled tofu.

So yes the crop is hard. Any specific kind of oil?

 

[azygous]

Any kind will do, but to avoid the risk of the chick getting into its already compromised respiratory system, use coconut oil slightly chilled and break off tiny pieces and slip them into its beak.

 

[azygous]

Sometimes a crop problem can cause noisy respiration, so see how the chicks does after you treat it with oil.