Swollen squishy crop on Chick

[MichelleMillar]

I noticed tonight when cleaning out the brooder that my fav little chicks crop is swollen and squishy. None of the other chicks are like this. I assume this isn’t normal? The other day she was ripping the paper towel in the brooder up. I’m very worried this is my first time with chicks. She is so sweet she lets me pet her and flies right to my hand for cuddles when I open up the door. . Picture below but it’s hard to see.

 

[CalBickieMomma]

My Junie went through something similar last year. Noticed at about a week and a half to two weeks old that she wasn’t eating or acting as active as usual. Her crop was soft and bloated, like a balloon, and I massaged it several times a day (and night) getting the gas to release (up through her mouth).

I thought it was sour crop, and even if it was, my guess is that she ingested a piece of wood shavings that got caught up in her crop somehow. Either way, I treated her for sour crop (ACV in her water, withheld her usual chick mash and fed her hard boiled egg yolk with some water to make it more liquid - with a syringe). For a few days, I only gave her water with NutraDrench (or fed her undiluted NutraDrench with an eye dropper) in it (trying to get all the starchy food out of her crop).

My theory is that it was an obstruction and that somehow my constant massaging helped work it out. It’s possible your baby ingested some of that paper towel, so maybe you could try the same thing I did? I’ll try to locate the thread about my Junie and share it here ...

 

[CalBickieMomma]

I noticed tonight when cleaning out the brooder that my fav little chicks crop is swollen and squishy. None of the other chicks are like this. I assume this isn’t normal? The other day she was ripping the paper towel in the brooder up. I’m very worried this is my first time with chicks. She is so sweet she lets me pet her and flies right to my hand for cuddles when I open up the door. . Picture below but it’s hard to see.

Here’s the link to my original thread about Junie with feedback from the community. Hope you can find something to help!

ALSO it‘s possible your Little might have just had a lot of water, so don’t do anything yet unless you notice she’s acting odd.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...k-should-i-be-concerned.1379564/post-22666589

 

[MichelleMillar]

Here’s the link to my original thread about Junie with feedback from the community. Hope you can find something to help!

ALSO it‘s possible your Little might have just had a lot of water, so don’t do anything yet unless you notice she’s acting odd.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...k-should-i-be-concerned.1379564/post-22666589

I massaged it a bit right away just by instinct but she didn’t mind. Took the food away over night and sure enough her crop was empty this morning they are all happily eating and chirping away! False alarm and thank goodness! Thank you for this thread and you knowledge very appreciated

 

[CalBickieMomma]

I massaged it a bit right away just by instinct but she didn’t mind. Took the food away over night and sure enough her crop was empty this morning they are all happily eating and chirping away! False alarm and thank goodness! Thank you for this thread and you knowledge very appreciated

YAY!!!

 

[Chicken poppy]

I noticed tonight when cleaning out the brooder that my fav little chicks crop is swollen and squishy. None of the other chicks are like this. I assume this isn’t normal? The other day she was ripping the paper towel in the brooder up. I’m very worried this is my first time with chicks. She is so sweet she lets me pet her and flies right to my hand for cuddles when I open up the door. . Picture below but it’s hard to see.

Bickie sums up what i was going to say, but try making sure she doesnt get vent gleet, it could happen with the blockidge

 

[MichelleMillar]

Update chicks are absolutely fine I took food away over night in the morning was empty she’s not 5 weeks old and thriving