stinky chick!

[luckyasablkcat]

I was playing with my girls last night one at a time, trying to tame them. And one of my rhode island reds was super stinky. She doesn't have sticky butt and didn't have any droppings on her that I could tell. She just smelled! She's eating and acting normal otherwise. Maybe I'm just worried over nothing but I though of see what everyone thought.

 

[azygous]

Having a chick stink, after eliminating being soiled with poop, does have significance. But, you need to identify what it smells like so you can describe it.

Is it a sour, yeasty smell? Is it a putrid smell, like something is dead? Like dirty gym socks?

Tell us what the smell seems like to you and describe it. Then we can try to figure out why the chicks smells that way.

 

[luckyasablkcat]

It's like a sour smell... Like bad meat.

 

[azygous]

Pick this chick up and smell close to its beak. Is the smell stronger?

If so, the chick may have a case of sour crop, or impacted crop. Feel the crop. It's off to the right side of its chest. Is it hard or squishy soft? Or empty and flat?

What do the poops from this chick look like? Is it pooping? Is the poop watery and white? Or is the poop very scant and tiny and dry? Is it eating normally?

What have you been feeding the chicks? Anything besides their chick crumbles? Bread maybe?

 

[luckyasablkcat]

She's smells kinda sour all over but it is a little stronger near her beak. Her crop is to the right of her chest, a little smaller than a marble, firm but not hard. Her poops are brown with white, not runny but not hard either. I've only given them chick feed, chick grit, chopped hard boiled egg and diced, seedless red grapes.

 

[azygous]

Her poop really says it all. She's fine. I'm betting the grapes have done something a little off inside her crop. But it should process on down to the stomach and gizzard and by morning, there should no longer be an unpleasant odor.

Report back here in the morning with an update, okay?

 

[luckyasablkcat]

Ok! I leave food in the trough for them all the time, should I pull it tonight and check her crop in the am? Just to be safe?

 

[azygous]

Don't do anything different. But do check her in the morning and let us know how she looks and smells and is behaving. And make sure you also know which poop is hers so you can know if it's changed.

 

[luckyasablkcat]

Still smelly, still active. Her poops after the same. Her crop was swishy this morning.

 

[azygous]

As long as your chick is acting normal, eating and pooping, let's not do anything right now. If it was an adult hen, I would tell you to begin treatment with an anti-yeast cream, but sour crop is rare in chicks and I'd rather see if she'll get over it on her own.

If you've been providing food 24/7, why don't you remove the food as soon as it's night. Let all of the chicks have time to empty their crops. In fact, this is more normal than letting chicks eat all day and all night. Maybe this chick just needs to rest her crop.

Anyway, her crop should be empty tomorrow morning after not eating all night. If the crop is full and squishy in the morning, then I'm going to advise you get some women's vaginal yeast treatment. It's inexpensive, over the counter at any pharmacy. Get the cream, not the suppositories.

Squeeze out a dollop the size of the tip pf your little finger, and place it inside her beak, then massage it down her throat like you do when you give a cat or dog some medicine. Give her another treatment in the evening. Do this for at least three days, more if the smell continues.

So, first of all, do nothing but withhold food tonight. Check crop in the morning. If empty and flat, she's well, and you'll not do anything else. If full and squishy in the morning after not eating all night, start the yeast treatment.