Norm 0 Posted July 28, 2008 Member ID: 3,235 Group: Site Members Followers: 0 Topic Count: 76 Topics Per Day: 0.01 Content Count: 1,965 Content Per Day: 0.32 Reputation: 0 Achievement Points: 12,755 Solved Content: 0 Days Won: 0 Joined: 08/03/07 Status: Offline Last Seen: October 6, 2009 Birthday: 20/08/1940 Share Posted July 28, 2008 I have read on here how some have had small chicks that had air trapped in the crops. I had never had that experience before, but some days ago I had a chick that was about two weeks old, with pinfeathers, it was the middle chick of a batch of three. All had been well but then one day when I inspected the nest box, the middle chicks crop was a massive size, like a balloon with little feed in it. I gently pressed on the crop & most of the air was expelled, some bubbles occurred in its nostrils. I then returned it to the nest, the next day it was exactly the same. This day I did nothing. I searched on the net, but didn’t find that much & mostly what I found was on small chicks & chicks that were being hand reared. On the third day the amount of air was much reduced, so I just left it in a couple of days it was back to normal. I removed the smallest chick to another batch, as I thought it might help in some way, whether this had any effect I don’t know. Anyway all seems well again, so I thought I would just let you know for your knowledge…has anyone got any thoughts on the matter or had similar cases. Link to comment
maesie 0 Posted July 28, 2008 Member ID: 3,838 Group: Site Members Followers: 0 Topic Count: 120 Topics Per Day: 0.01 Content Count: 4,386 Content Per Day: 0.22 Reputation: 0 Achievement Points: 27,580 Solved Content: 0 Days Won: 0 Joined: 18/11/07 Status: Offline Last Seen: June 27, 2013 Birthday: 20/04/1979 Share Posted July 28, 2008 Great post Norm. I had a similar situation in my last clutch. I think it was the middle chick of 5 and it was under 10 days old. It had a small air pocket in the top corner of its crop. I tried to lightly press it out, but not wanted to cause damage, I didn't do it hard enough, and therefor nothing changed. Over the next few days, the amout of air slightly increased and decreased. It was all gone in a matter of days, and all was fine after that. None of the other chicks had this problem and it never came back. Link to comment
Neat 0 Posted July 28, 2008 Member ID: 3,275 Group: Site Members Followers: 0 Topic Count: 321 Topics Per Day: 0.02 Content Count: 5,171 Content Per Day: 0.26 Reputation: 0 Achievement Points: 31,845 Solved Content: 0 Days Won: 0 Joined: 27/03/07 Status: Offline Last Seen: June 25, 2010 Birthday: 22/05/1980 Share Posted July 28, 2008 Hey Norm, my babies have sometimes gotten little air pockets which were more noticeable looking down at the bird ( see the air from the sides of the neck) it was tooooo big I had the babu upright and kept it's head and throat in line and gently squeeze the air upward you should hear little popping sounds... I haven't had anything com out of their nostrils though? - Keep an eye on this one, good thinking to foster to another box. Keep us posted on this little one :hap: Link to comment
Norm 0 Posted July 28, 2008 Member ID: 3,235 Group: Site Members Followers: 0 Topic Count: 76 Topics Per Day: 0.01 Content Count: 1,965 Content Per Day: 0.32 Reputation: 0 Achievement Points: 12,755 Solved Content: 0 Days Won: 0 Joined: 08/03/07 Status: Offline Last Seen: October 6, 2009 Birthday: 20/08/1940 Author Share Posted July 28, 2008 Thanks guys, seeing I had never had it before, at first I was worried that it was like a disease, but as it appears normal now it must be just a simple problem, I will note it on it’s records & watch out. I read on some sites that it can be cause by inexperienced parents that could be the case. The mother is a bird I bought, because of her age she must have been a first timer & the first time she had babies the first two died, from her not feeding them & I removed further chicks to foster Mum’s & gave her some larger chicks which she successfully raised. She is the hen that was very aggressive with cocks & she had a few infertile batches, but I introduced a new young cock, who I had to introduce with a wire screen between them as she was chasing him at first, but after two days they have got on well, but he doesn’t enter the nest too much, maybe it is his first goes at feeding causing the problem. Link to comment
missylu 0 Posted July 28, 2008 Member ID: 4,117 Group: Site Members Followers: 0 Topic Count: 69 Topics Per Day: 0.01 Content Count: 357 Content Per Day: 0.06 Reputation: 0 Achievement Points: 2,765 Solved Content: 0 Days Won: 0 Joined: 02/03/08 Status: Offline Last Seen: November 3, 2009 Birthday: 09/07/1984 Share Posted July 28, 2008 I had a 2 week old baby with air in crop and each time i expelled the air it just came back double time, and each time i did that i had the same liquid in its nostrils. The chick ended up dying from other reasons but since then i have noticed alot of my babies with the air in crop but i have chosen to leave them and they are all doing fine now? So if there is not a huge amount of air in there i would say leave it but if there is alot just take it to the vet -better safe then sorry. Link to comment
**Liv** 0 Posted July 28, 2008 Member ID: 3,771 Group: Site Members Followers: 0 Topic Count: 147 Topics Per Day: 0.01 Content Count: 6,621 Content Per Day: 0.33 Reputation: 0 Achievement Points: 39,450 Solved Content: 0 Days Won: 0 Joined: 23/10/07 Status: Offline Last Seen: August 8, 2014 Birthday: 09/04/1911 Share Posted July 28, 2008 I have seen small amounts of air in a number of chicks - i leave it and there are no ill effects - i thought it was them just swallowing some air during feeding :hap: Link to comment
**KAZ** 0 Posted July 29, 2008 Member ID: 1,976 Group: Site Members Followers: 2 Topic Count: 521 Topics Per Day: 0.03 Content Count: 25,294 Content Per Day: 1.28 Reputation: 0 Achievement Points: 152,977 Solved Content: 0 Days Won: 0 Joined: 24/01/06 Status: Offline Last Seen: January 6, 2015 Birthday: 07/01/1956 Share Posted July 29, 2008 Its important how you hold the baby while expressing the air as it can aspirate. My belief is its from inexperienced parents not delivering the food correctly and baby is sucking air while beak is open expecting the food. Link to comment
*libby* 0 Posted July 29, 2008 Member ID: 3,634 Group: Site Members Followers: 0 Topic Count: 60 Topics Per Day: 0.00 Content Count: 2,442 Content Per Day: 0.12 Reputation: 0 Achievement Points: 15,475 Solved Content: 0 Days Won: 0 Joined: 24/08/07 Status: Offline Last Seen: February 9, 2011 Birthday: 10/11/1989 Share Posted July 29, 2008 I've had several that just suck in air and blow their crops up, not whilst being fed or anything. I personally think it's a loose crop pipe or something that lets in air until they grow into it. Watching them inflate themselves like a balloon made me re-think the feeding theory. When it's extensive amounts of air i'll squeeze it out to releive a bit of pressure, but i have found it'll right itself it is can. Link to comment
Neat 0 Posted July 29, 2008 Member ID: 3,275 Group: Site Members Followers: 0 Topic Count: 321 Topics Per Day: 0.02 Content Count: 5,171 Content Per Day: 0.26 Reputation: 0 Achievement Points: 31,845 Solved Content: 0 Days Won: 0 Joined: 27/03/07 Status: Offline Last Seen: June 25, 2010 Birthday: 22/05/1980 Share Posted July 29, 2008 Yes Kaz and Norm, Spot on the 2 hens that did this were first time ones too!! which also seem to be messy feeders too, If they are MAssive i leave them :budgiedance: Link to comment
FeatheredFamily 0 Posted September 4, 2019 Member ID: 8,907 Group: Site Members Followers: 0 Topic Count: 0 Topics Per Day: 0 Content Count: 1 Content Per Day: 0.00 Reputation: 0 Achievement Points: 5 Solved Content: 0 Days Won: 0 Joined: 04/09/19 Status: Offline Last Seen: November 1, 2019 Share Posted September 4, 2019 I’ve had this happen several times. It’s common when hand rearing chicks (without parent assistance). It’s usually because the feeder is not matching the pace at which the chick swallows food. This is an easy blunder to make. Don’t be alarmed by it. Also, there’s no need to express the air from the crop. Surprising as it sounds, the chick will correct the problem with its own flatulence. ...yes, that’s right. The chick will just have gas until it’s successful farted away all that excess air. You may notice some soft popping sounds, that are eerily similar to the sounds a chick makes when it is aspirating. It’s unsettling at first, but that’s the same sound chicks make when they’re farting. If you have doubt about whether a chick has gas, or is aspirating, just look for these particular signs : 1- Is the chick spasming into a weird L shaped yoga position, then curling up into the fetal position, only to spasm again repeatedly? If yes, your chick is aspirating. 2- Is your chick desperately gasping for air, in at irregular intervals, with a wide open mouth that resembles a koi fish feeding at the surface in a frenzy? If yes, your chick is aspirating. 3- Is your chick sleeping peacefully, while breathing at a normal rate, all while little popping sounds occur simultaneously with frequent puckering of the chicks vent? If so, your chick has gas. It’s fine. Just pretend your chick is actually a drunk friend, and let the chick sleep it off. Attempting to force air out of the chicks crop, may result in the chick’s crop bursting like a balloon. It can also potentially do damage to the crops sphincter. Hope this was helpful! Link to comment
Omelette 0 Posted April 27, 2020 Member ID: 9,100 Group: Site Members Followers: 0 Topic Count: 0 Topics Per Day: 0 Content Count: 1 Content Per Day: 0.00 Reputation: 0 Achievement Points: 5 Solved Content: 0 Days Won: 0 Joined: 27/04/20 Status: Offline Last Seen: April 27, 2020 Share Posted April 27, 2020 I am hand feeding a baby cockatiel who is 3 days old. I got some air in it’s crop. So I massaged it and it’s not coming out. Is it safe if I just leave it alone? Link to comment
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