The Accidental Smallholder Forum

Livestock => Poultry & Waterfowl => Topic started by: gillandtom on April 25, 2009, 12:54:09 pm

Title: 10 day old chick with bulge
Post by: gillandtom on April 25, 2009, 12:54:09 pm: Our 10 day old chick Daisy doesn't seem so good today. She has a bulge on one side of what would be her throat. Is this her crop? It doesn't seem to be bothering her at all but should we do something? I think she may have been eating some of the full sized hens food rather than her chick crumbs. Would that do this? Please advise if there is anything I should do.

Thanks
Gillian
Title: Re: 10 day old chick with bulge
Post by: shetlandpaul on April 25, 2009, 02:34:22 pm: get her to eat some chick grit. I hope she will be ok but its not likely. i feed crumb untill 6 weeks.
Title: Re: 10 day old chick with bulge
Post by: doganjo on April 25, 2009, 04:45:55 pm: Are the adults and chicks together already then? or did she get it through a fence. I keep chicks on crumb to 8 weeks. It doesn't sound good I must admit. Is she drinking? Or just sitting hunched up?
Title: Re: 10 day old chick with bulge
Post by: gillandtom on April 25, 2009, 06:12:23 pm: Quote from: doganjo on April 25, 2009, 04:45:55 pm
Are the adults and chicks together already then? or did she get it through a fence. I keep chicks on crumb to 8 weeks. It doesn't sound good I must admit. Is she drinking? Or just sitting hunched up?

Hi Annie,

She is the chick that hatched from Rosemary's Cream Coloured Legbar egg under our broody hen so we have been putting some food in for the Mum and I think she has had some of it as well. (We gave mum a little left over spaghetti this morning). She has her own chick crumb in as well. She seems absolutely fine still drinking and eating but just has this lump off to one side of her crop?
Thanks
Gillian
Title: Re: 10 day old chick with bulge
Post by: pikilily on April 26, 2009, 08:51:21 am: I am not sure what the lump is, obviously you are keeping an eye out for any distress or problems.

As a side issue i put my mothers with chicks in a separate area from the rest of the flock, Mums and babes are fed chick crumbs, i dont put in anything else...well, water of course. That way the chicks don't get a hold of anything they shouldn't. The hen wont be laying so its safe to give her chick crumbs (which are not to be fed to laying birds, or rather their eggs should not be eaten) i feed my hens the Farmgate range...they wont eat Allan and Page etc.
The rules for feeding may be different for other ranges of feedstuffs.

HTH Emma x
Title: Re: 10 day old chick with bulge
Post by: Rosemary on April 26, 2009, 12:06:18 pm: Emma, why wouldn't you eat eggs from hens fed chick crumbs?
Title: Re: 10 day old chick with bulge
Post by: shetlandpaul on April 26, 2009, 12:12:05 pm: i think some have drugs in them.
Title: Re: 10 day old chick with bulge
Post by: gillandtom on April 26, 2009, 12:18:51 pm: We locked her up in the broody coup with her 'mum' last night and this morning her bulge had gone but now at noon the bulge is back with her only eating chick crumb. ???

I am hoping this is just a thing she will have while she is so little and it will pass as she grows. If anyone else has had any experience of this or any other suggestions they can let me know.

Thanks
Gillian
Title: Re: 10 day old chick with bulge
Post by: shetlandpaul on April 26, 2009, 01:00:06 pm: could be she just eats lots.
Title: Re: 10 day old chick with bulge
Post by: pikilily on April 26, 2009, 05:25:29 pm: Hi rosemary, the standard brand chick crumbs have anticoccidial drugs in them. These are not so good to eat.

i dont know whether Allan and Page's does too, or other organic brands...may be stat that all chick crumbs must have these drugs. If they are included then it should be stated on packaging not to be fed to laying hens or something of that ilk
Emma x
Title: Re: 10 day old chick with bulge
Post by: doganjo on April 26, 2009, 05:29:21 pm: Paul may have the answer - she may just eat a lot at once and it's staying in her crop longer, thus causing a bulge. How big is this bulge in comparison to the rest of her?
Title: Re: 10 day old chick with bulge
Post by: shetlandpaul on April 26, 2009, 07:55:18 pm: Quote from: pikilily on April 26, 2009, 05:25:29 pm
Hi rosemary, the standard brand chick crumbs have anticoccidial drugs in them. These are not so good to eat.

i dont know whether Allan and Page's does too, or other organic brands...may be stat that all chick crumbs must have these drugs. If they are included then it should be stated on packaging not to be fed to laying hens or something of that ilk
Emma x

some poutry rearer had it in it was ment for our turkeys so it went in the bin. there is a restriction on eating the bird for a few weeks after feeding them with treated feed. So i guess it would effect the eggs to.
Title: Re: 10 day old chick with bulge
Post by: gillandtom on April 27, 2009, 06:02:05 pm: Quote from: doganjo on April 26, 2009, 05:29:21 pm
Paul may have the answer - she may just eat a lot at once and it's staying in her crop longer, thus causing a bulge. How big is this bulge in comparison to the rest of her?

I hope thats all it is. Same thing happened today - fine in the morning then bulging around noon. Annie it is about the size of a walnut in its shell which is pretty big since she is so tiny. Still seems fine tho so not going to worry about it now unless it bothers her.

Thanks for all your help. x x G
Title: Re: 10 day old chick with bulge
Post by: Rosemary on April 27, 2009, 09:25:06 pm: Ah, thought so. We buy organic crumbs that are coccidiostat free.
Title: Re: 10 day old chick with bulge
Post by: shetlandpaul on April 27, 2009, 10:25:58 pm: you can get standard ones that are free from drugs. Are you full organic if so how long did it take.