using syringe to drain slow/sour crop?

[froggyphore]

What makes you think a one week old chick has a crop disorder? If it's because the crop seems very large, that's pretty common for chicks to have bulging crops that appear too large for their bodies. It's unlikely a baby chick will have a sour crop.

i was actually hesitant to think it was a problem because i’m often paranoid about crops. i also thought it would be odd for a chick so young to have something like sour crop, but the texture is very noticeably different from normal, i can hear gurgling when she moves a lot, it never goes down, and she’s started twitching her neck frequently. it’s also much, much larger than any of the other chicks, or any i’ve raised in the past.

i actually discovered it because she was chirping so loud it woke me up while all the others were quiet, which ime usually means somethings wrong. i suppose she could just be odd, but i’d rather try something than do nothing and have her pass from something preventable, unless it’s possible for the medication to harm her if she doesn’t have a crop issue?

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Please post some photos of the chick, the brooder and her poop.

 

[artsyrobin]

i haven’t been doing any specific regimen, i tried all the things i could find online (unless they sounded dangerous like the forced vomiting) i’m afraid i only have olive oil atm, would that work?

Mineral oil works best, it isn't absorbed but helps clear the crop.

 

[aart]

Please post some photos of the chick, the brooder and her poop.

Yes, this^^^, please.

Are you feeding anything other than chick starter?
What are you using for bedding?

 

[froggyphore]

here’s the brooder. i know it’s a bit cramped, i wanted to have them inside the first week so i could easily give them attention and this is the largest enclosure i have, i’m moving them somewhere much bigger in a few days. i always use this bedding for chicks. the first few days i watch to make sure no one’s trying to eat it and i haven’t seen anyone doing so.

---

this is the chick. i found it hard to capture the size and shape of the crop, it’s a bit bigger in real life. it’s also lopsided to the right. it’s gone down a bit since last night. it’s atleast 3x bigger than the other chicks, i can pick her out from the other dominiques by the crop alone.
i exclusively feed starter until they start spending the day outside. i couldn’t get a pic of her droppings but they’re basically the platonic ideal of a chick dropping, firm and light brown with a small spot of uric acid and no abnormalities.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

How hot is it under that lamp?

Do you have a way to separate her overnight without food/water to see if the crop is empty by morning?
It's extremely hard to gauge crop function in chicks that have light 24/7 since they are constantly eating and drinking and refilling the crop.

Does she seem distressed at all? Active?

 

[Aunt Angus]

here’s the brooder. i know it’s a bit cramped, i wanted to have them inside the first week so i could easily give them attention and this is the largest enclosure i have, i’m moving them somewhere much bigger in a few days. i always use this bedding for chicks. the first few days i watch to make sure no one’s trying to eat it and i haven’t seen anyone doing so.
View attachment 3089231
View attachment 3089252

---

this is the chick. i found it hard to capture the size and shape of the crop, it’s a bit bigger in real life. it’s also lopsided to the right. it’s gone down a bit since last night. it’s atleast 3x bigger than the other chicks, i can pick her out from the other dominiques by the crop alone.View attachment 3089245
i exclusively feed starter until they start spending the day outside. i couldn’t get a pic of her droppings but they’re basically the platonic ideal of a chick dropping, firm and light brown with a small spot of uric acid and no abnormalities.

And the crop never empties? I wonder if the light is having an effect. It might be worth moving her to a heating pad setup or withholding food for a little while to see if it empties.

I believe you when you say that her crop doesn't feel right. My Orpington stuffed herself full to the point I thought her little crop would burst as a chick. But her crop felt firm.

 

[froggyphore]

under the lamp it’s in the mid to low 90s. they spend about equal time in the warm and cool parts when they’re awake.

i’m planning to sequester a small part of the brooder in the mid-zone for her tonight. i thought about keeping her outside the brooder but she gets upset and starts crying immediately when separated from the others. i had planned to use a heating pad for them but it was old and died on me a bit before they got here. i’ve been waiting for my feed store to get some but if they don’t have them soon i’ll just order one online. luckily she’s the only one who seems to have a perpetually full crop, i’ve been feeling the other chicks crops and they’re pretty good about letting it empty most of the way.

she seems a bit lackadaisical and uncomfortable but she still acts normal for the most part. she doesn’t seem weak or shaky or anything. but yeah, since i’ve noticed it i check it multiple times day and night, and the crop never gets smaller than in the photo.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Let us know what you find out.

 

[froggyphore]

last night i isolated her, i think her crop went down a little, but it’s hard to tell. i thought about doing it for longer but she looked kind of stressed and tired when i removed her.