Wk old Buff Orp chick was retching like dry heaves.

[Gindee77]

It was asleep with it's face in the bedding (pine shavings) and I was going to water and feed them and woke it up. It immediately started retching as if it had the dry heaves. I could see a piece of what looked like the pine shavings in it's mouth. I hurried with it into the bathroom and found a pair of tweezers and tried to get the piece of shavings out of it's mouth, I got one little one but I think it swallowed a larger piece than what I managed to get out. The poor little thing did the retching for about 10-15 minutes. I rubbed it's crop and thought for sure it was a goner, but after it laid on the bottom of the brooder for a little while, suddenly it jumped up and seemed a lot better. I sort of stuck her beak in the water and she drank a drop or two. That was about 9am today. It's now 7pm and she seems better. Since I have 3 Buff Orps in this brooder (they all look alike to me...LOL) I put magic marker on top of her head so I would know which one it was so I could keep an eye on her. I know that my chicks like to play with the bedding...one will pick up a piece of it and they'll chase each other around trying to take it...but I had no idea they would swallow it! I have a lot to learn!! I do have grit in the brooder, BTW. Will this chick survive this or will I lose it?? Is this common?

 

[dlhunicorn]

try giving it a bit of bread soaked in olive oil...this is sometimes enough to help the igested shaving go thru. It really is better to use papertowels the first couple weeks until they learn what " food" is.

 

[Gindee77]

Thanks for your help. I have changed the youngest chicks from shavings to a doggie piddle pad for now. It was the only thing I had that was absorbent. I hope those will work for now. I don't get the newspaper and until grocery day I'm out of paper towels. I have a couple other of my youngest chicks with rather large looking crops and I'll bet they've been eating some shavings too. I appreciate your feedback!!