Sick chick. Empty crop and watery stool

[TinyLittleFarm]

I have a 2 week old chick that we have had for 3 days. She is alert and active, but she is having some trouble. She regularly has very watery poo. Like almost all water. She also had watery type stuff come out of her beak--like she threw up! I thought chickens don't throw up? Also, it is late in the afternoon and she has had access to food all day, yet her crop is empty. She does not seem to be in any obvious distress, but something is wrong.

Ideas? Treatment?

Her 3 sisters all have nice full healthy crops and normal poop. They have been together since birth. Do I need to isolate her?

Thanks for any input.

 

[CMV]

Try giving her some sugar water/electrolyte solution. Then check her butt to make sure she isn't pasted shut. Whenever chicks have diarrhea they run the risk of getting pasty butt. It happens quickly and is deadly. Soak her butt in some warm water and clean it off well. Her crop is empty? I would almost wonder if she has a blockage since you mentioned the regurgitation. I don't know if massaging the crop would be a viable alternative because of her age. She's probably so tiny that I would be afraid of damaging her further by doing a crop massage.

There is not much you can do other than those few things. Chicks are very fragile. The move to a new home might have been too much for her if she was already not thriving. Keep an eye on her, but don't pin your hopes on being able to fix her.

Sorry I couldn't be more help. Good luck.

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

Have your chicks been eating shavings and not eating grit?

 

[TinyLittleFarm]

I don't think they've been eating shavings. They don't have grit since they're just in a brooder with only starter to eat. No treats yet.

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

I always give my chicks grit starting at 3 days, in case they ingest shavings. Here is my hatchery's advice:

http://www.mcmurrayhatchery.com/chickcare.html

If their crop filled up with shavings they couldn't break it down otherwise. A lot of people on this message board say you don't need to. You will have to decide.

You can do a search on here for impacted crop to see if that is what you think you have (or google it). There are ways to treat it. I have never dealt with it. You can read about treatment on this board- I've seen threads on it.

Oh wait the person above said she wouldn't massage a crop on a chick. Well other folks have given olive oil and such. You might want to investigate?