URGENT: 4 week old chick droopy puffed up less active smaller appetite straining to poo

[solomine]

She keeps repeating these behaviors, which make me think she's in a lot of pain:

Piercing chirp/squawk with her beak wide open like she's gasping, ruffle/fluff/shake head so hard she tumbles over. Her voice is probably getting hoarse from that.

She keeps closing her eyes like she's about to sleep/faint.

I feel like she's failing fast ..

 

[solomine]

I THINK I FOUND WHAT WAS WRONG.

Under her beak was a piece of string cutting into her skin. I think she swallowed a long piece of string somehow and it got looped around her beak and was there for quite some time.

I unhooked it and gave it some gentle tugs but it refused to come out. I stopped because I was afraid I'd hurt the bird. She then just swallowed the entire thing... What should I do?

(She's still making piercing cries + shaking her head)

 

[cafarmgirl]

There is not much you can do. The concern would be that the string has tangled in the intestines and caused problems, it sounds like it from what you describe. Nothing you can do in that case.

 

[solomine]

Oh dear....... is there really nothing that could be done? Anything that would help her pass the string if it's not tangled?

Or at least, ease her pain? Right now she seems to be having a hard time eating (she picks up food with her mouth but it just stays in her beak. I opened up her beak just now and it had some saliva in it.) She opens her mouth whenever she's picked up.

Sigh... My first dead chick died due to a freak accident (Eco-glow brooder heat panel suddenly fell and trapped/overheated my chick). This one's dying because of a piece of string... Just shows that you can be prepared for everything and still have something go wrong. (really wish it were a common/treatable ailment like coccidiosis)

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

Oh dear....... is there really nothing that could be done? Anything that would help her pass the string if it's not tangled?

Or at least, ease her pain? Right now she seems to be having a hard time eating (she picks up food with her mouth but it just stays in her beak. I opened up her beak just now and it had some saliva in it.) She opens her mouth whenever she's picked up.

Sigh... My first dead chick died due to a freak accident (Eco-glow brooder heat panel suddenly fell and trapped/overheated my chick). This one's dying because of a piece of string... Just shows that you can be prepared for everything and still have something go wrong. (really wish it were a common/treatable ailment like coccidiosis)

I had a chicken eat an old tarp piece (string)- the blue plastic kind and survived.

Don't give up hope yet!

But there is really nothing you can do as cafarmgirl said.

 

[solomine]

Hey all, just wanted to let you know I found my chick dead, half buried in pine shavings, with her eyes half open, and her head twisted under her body. It seems like she passed while being in a lot of pain. This is my second chick to die and I think my little cochin (who was also one of my faves) is also a roo... so 3/5 chicks gone.

I'm so heartbroken... I have my silkie (with which I have not bonded with yet... she's got to have the least personality out of all of them) and my other EE (who is VERY LOUD and bites hard).

I feel awful that I didn't find that cursed string earlier... I'm so sorry to my chick... I'm sorry you had to suffer so much in your short life

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

Hey all, just wanted to let you know I found my chick dead, half buried in pine shavings, with her eyes half open, and her head twisted to under her body. It seems like she passed while being in a lot of pain. This is my second chick to die and I think my little cochin (who was also one of my faves) is also a roo... so 3/5 chicks gone.

I'm so heartbroken... I have my silkie (with which I have not bonded with yet... she's got to have the least personality out of all of them) and my other EE (who is VERY LOUD and bites hard).

I feel awful that I didn't find that cursed string earlier... I'm so sorry to my chick... I'm sorry you had to suffer so much in your short life

I am so sorry she didn't make it. You did everything you could.