Yolk sac infection?

[casportpony]

Are the under a lamp or heat plate?

 

[ElisabethSF]

Not quite sure what to call it, it's like a space heater almost? It's really tiny, but it's not a plate or a lamp, it's like a genuine little tiny heater that blows out warm air. My husband got it for when he is in his office and doesn't want to turn the heat up he just puts it by his feet. So I thought that I would try that to see if that worked before buying something else, and it actually works really well to keep it at the right temperature. And then I have this mat heater from a cat bed that I put underneath the little box that they tend to sleep in and the thermometer shows that between the two of them (depending on where I place the other little heater obv) keeps it at a good temperature. I have the little heater up on a glass block so that they can't get close to it in case for some reason they wanted to (but they don't seem too stupid), basically the way that I control the temperature is just by moving the heater back or forward. I have been working from home the last week and a half because my son has been off of school but I have to go back to work tomorrow, so I'm not going to be able to monitor everything as closely.

 

[casportpony]

So they sleep at night without a light? If so, just remove food when you turn out the lights and check crops first thing in the morning. I

 

[ElisabethSF]

Yes, no light at night. Unless for some reason I am feeling stalky and want to go check on them LOL. Sounds good, will do. I just shut them down like a half hour ago, they are in the garage and it is getting dark earlier and earlier here. I have to leave for work early tomorrow so i will definitely be checking before the sun comes up (at least enough to get into the garage and wake them up to eat) and they start getting into any food.

 

[casportpony]

Sounds good!

 

[ElisabethSF]

Okay, you're right all of the other chickens had empty crops this morning and she did not. I would say it had definitely reduced but it was not empty. It was maybe half the size as it had been last night, but it was pretty big last night so that meant there was still a decent amount in there this morning. What should I do?

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Okay, you're right all of the other chickens had empty crops this morning and she did not. I would say it had definitely reduced but it was not empty. It was maybe half the size as it had been last night, but it was pretty big last night so that meant there was still a decent amount in there this morning. What should I do?

Do you have any chick grit (crushed granite) available free choice in the brooder? She may have eaten a little bedding or just may need the grit to process the food better.
See that she is drinking really well and offer her chick starter wet.

 

[ElisabethSF]

Yes, there is grit in there. I'm not sure if she's really eating any of it, and like I said I don't see her really eating much of the dry food, she will peck at it sometimes with the other ones but she mostly eats the moisten food. I also don't really see her drinking, she knows how to but idk if she's drinking while she's actually in there. I make sure that I give her some water too (because she will drink when I have her) because of that. I wonder if maybe she would be more apt to pick up some of the grit if it is mixed in with some crumbles on a plate or something like that? Instead of in the feeder? I'll try that when I get home from work and try to give her something to drink every time that I check on them.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I wouldn't mix the grit with the food - they will usually pick up what they need.
Getting her hydrated would be the best thing to do to see if you can get the crop moving.

 

[ElisabethSF]

I'm not sure if that was a good idea. I gave her food like normal this morning, when I came home her crop was not as full, wasn't as hard either. So I gave her water with the electrolytes and vitamin and probiotic in it and she drank a lot, she really likes to Peck the drips off of this little dropper that I have. But then she didn't eat anything and was kind of out of it. Pooped several times didn't have any problems with that. Didn't get her to eat much just a bit ago either. I don't know.