Sickly pheasant

[Ryeyard]

Hi
I'm new to the forum and have 9 pheasant chicks (9 days old). One is smaller than the rest and more listless although it is eating and drinking well. I've noticed it has a swollen abdomen. The other 8 are full of energy and look great so should I remove the sickly bird in case it endangers the rest? Many thanks.

 

[Duck_life]

It might not be contagious but if it's smaller and less sturdy take it out incase they start bullying her and she gets more sick, make sure she is getting enough nutrients.

 

[Ryeyard]

She's eating and drinking really well but not developing like the others, plus the swollen abdomen issue. I read that the swollen abdomen could be a sign of the infected yolk. There is apparently a specific name for it.

 

[007Sean]

What kind of pheasants? Can you get pictures? It may be that it's just slower than the rest.
With a umbilical infection they usually don't last more than a day or two. And not much you can do about it at now that it has closed up. Antibiotics may help if caught early enough.

 

[Ryeyard]

Sean the chicks are the common pheasant found in Scotland. I've given the sickly one 4 or 5 days to see if she'll come round however she was developing less quickly, was breathing hard, listless and still with a swollen abdomen. In addition, she was being picked on yesterday by one or two others so today with heavy heart I removed her from the flock of healthy 11 day old chicks.

 

[007Sean]

Breathing hard and listless isn't a good sign. I just find it hard to believe it's an infection introduced during the absorption of the yolk. It shouldn't have lasted 9 days with that infection.
I suspect Aspergillosis. There is no cure for Aspergillosis, only prevention by having strict sanitation practices.
A less likely cause could be Ascites or water belly but I have never seen it in pheasants and shouldn't be present in such a young bird. Primarily seen in broilers, ascites is the accumulation of noninflamatory fluid in the peritoneal cavities. The common cause is the right ventricular failure or congenital heart disease. There is really not much that can be done for this condition.