What is wrong with this chick?

[andree87]

Hello all,

I have 5 chicks that are about 7-8 weeks old. One of them, an Harco variety (I live in France and this is its variety in French) has been making squawking sounds that are different from the others for several days. Today I notice that she is breathing through her mouth while closing her eyes occasionally. I took a video of what she is doing, that I could post but I don't seem to be able to upload it. I will copy a screen capture below of her with mouth open and eyes closed, hopefully this works.

She has no pasty butt and I see no other issue with her.

Any ideas?

 

[azygous]

Load your video to You Tube. Then copy the URL and paste it here on your thread. It will then embed.

The chick may be constipated and/or have a crop issue. Feel the crop and decide if it's much fuller than its mates. Is the crop hard and lumpy? Or is it empty?

What have your chicks been eating? Have they been foraging for grass? Do they have access to grit? (gravel)

 

[andree87]

Thanks for your reply. I don't see or feel anything on her crop that is a problem. She is so small and the area feels empty or not full in any way. Her problems look respiratory to me, but there is no runny nose or mucous etc.

The chicks are in a cage with sand on the bottom, so does that count as grit? I see them pecking at the sand. I've put them out in the grass several times.

I've just isolated the sick chick now and will see how her condition evolves. The other 4 chicks are not showing any similar symptoms.

As for the video, I don't have youtube account, so will try to post that later if I can figure out how to do that!

 

[azygous]

Examine your chick further. Have someone help you as it will be easier. Look inside the mouth real well. Look for obstructions. Something could be wrapped around the tongue. There could be lesions in the throat that are impeding eating. Look for scummy plaque coating the inside of the mouth.

Is this chick exhibiting any balance issues? Does it wobble when standing? Does it fall over? Does it appear to be merely weak? Are there any sounds when it's breathing? What does the poop look like?

 

[andree87]

We examined her throat and there are no obstructions and tongue is clean. She is eating, drinking and pooping, and poops seems normal too.

No balance issues, actually she is in a big cardboad box and when I removed the top, she flew up and perched on the edge of the box, so I don't see any issues there either.

She is still breathing through her mouth and actually she seems to have a really bad sore throat if I judge by the sounds that she makes. Her squawking sounds harsh like our voices can be when we have a very sore throat (she isn't sneezing or coughing that I can tell).

I started putting the chicks outside for a while a few days ago, and perhaps I left them there too long and this one got cold and caught something?

My husband wants to cull her, but I am hesitating. For one, I am waiting to see if the other chicks show the same symptoms (all seem ok for now) and also, I don't have the heart to do it just yet.

THanks again for the input, I'll let you know in next few days if anything changes.

 

[azygous]

Sounds like it could be just something lodged in her trachea, tiny enough she can still breathe. These often work themselves out on their own and the issue self resolves.

As long as a chicken is active and eating and pooping, any symptoms need only be watched until the time there is more to go on.

 

[andree87]

Sounds like it could be just something lodged in her trachea, tiny enough she can still breathe. These often work themselves out on their own and the issue self resolves.

As long as a chicken is active and eating and pooping, any symptoms need only be watched until the time there is more to go on.

I am thinking that this could be her issue because she has no exterior signs of cold or other respiratory illness and only has this constant breathing from the mouth while closing her eyes and then occasionally strange squawking, as if her vocal chords are strained. But I see nothing in her throat.

She is eating mash but she constantly puts that mash in her water dish, almost as if it's coming back up through her mouth, so maybe there is an obstruction. She is pooping, but no a great deal and continues to drink too.

Would an impacted crop have these sorts of symptoms? If I wanted to try to clear an impacted in this chick, who is close to 2-months old, would I follow the same procedure as for a grown hen? (as in this procedure shown here:

Thanks again for your advice azygous, it's much appreciated.

 

[MLG1900]

If she is mouth breathing alot, I suspect her nostrils are clogged. Do you have a little syringe or bulb syringe like for babies that you can try and SUCK OUT from the nostrils? I also notice chicks mouth breath when they are HOT. Could this chick be HOT?

 

[azygous]

I wouldn't use this method. Too bad the video doesn't show precisely how to administer liquids to a chicken safely. It's too easy to aspirate them by squirting liquid straight into the mouth.

Holding a chicken upside down is also dangerous, although these folks appear to know what they're doing.

The safer method is to administer solid coconut oil (far less likely to aspirate), about a teaspoon, and massage it into the crop mass. Let sit a little bit and massage some more. Massage will help the contents go down naturally.

More drastic methods, this one as well as crop surgery, can be tried if oil and massage, later perhaps a stool softener, don't work to empty the crop over a 24 hour period.

 

[andree87]

I managed to get a bit of coconut oil in her beak and massaged her a bit. Now there is an obvious bulge, so it does look like a crop issue.

Can I let her keep eating with this problem?

I don't have stool softener, but I do have digestive enzymes, I wonder if a chick could take that? I have a product called Trienza which contains various human digestive enzymes that break down food proteins. Or activated charcoal perhaps?

Does anyone have any opinions?