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Urgent Overfed Cockatiel Chick Crop??

What do I do??

  • Feed

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Wait until morning

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  • Vet

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  • Total voters
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NotVictor

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I'm new to hand raising and feeding cockatiel chicks and it's crop is full but it's feeding time. What do I do? 20190406_002245.jpg
 

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Mockinbirdiva

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Victor,
The crop on this chick is extremely distended. More full than it should be. Skip the feeding and wait to see if the crop goes down to empty. The last time you fed this chick did you feed it to the size of the crop as it is now? It's very important for the crop to empty before each feeding so you aren't putting new freshly made formula in a chick that already has formula in the crop. It can result in crop stasis... slowing down the digestion and leading to a sour crop or infection.
 

Mockinbirdiva

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I would also say... if the crop hasn't gone down by morning I would suggest taking this chick to the vet. Have you been shown how to hand feed? Do you know all about the correct temperature formula should be... do you have a digital thermometer to make sure you are feeding at the proper temperature? Are you syringe feeding? Tell us more about your set up for keeping babies warm, type of formula, how you are mixing it.. how often are you feeding.
 

NotVictor

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The crop hasn't been this full last time I've feed it. Also I've made sure to feed it asap as warm as I could. I'm syringe feeding it and took it from the parents after they tried to kill it.
 

NotVictor

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I try to feed it every 3-4 hours 6 overnight.
 

Mockinbirdiva

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So what you are saying is the crop wasn't this full in the photo when you fed it last? Do you have a brooder set up with a heating pad set on low under the brooder ( wrapped in a towel to prevent a hot surface from injuring the chick and overheating it). If you have a separate digital thermometer that you set inside to monitor a temp of at least 80-85 degrees to keep it warm would be good. What are you keeping as a substrate for it to lay on? Are there other chicks?
 

Mockinbirdiva

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You will only keep one side of the bottom of your brooder warm in case the chick gets too warm it can move away from the heat source. Please provide more information and a photo of how you are keeping the chick. What temperature are you feeding the formula at? It should be 102-105 degrees. I fed my babies at 107 degrees Fahrenheit.
 

NotVictor

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I'm new to this and barley know what I'm doing, the crop wasn't this full before the picture. This was the only chick that hatched but had to be removed as the parents were trying to kill it. I only have a small box with nesting hay and cut in half makeshift sock blankets. My family doesn't have a digital thermometer. I drop some formula on my finger to make sure if it's warm enough, and I make sure to only keep it in warm areas away from fans, a/c ect. It might not seem like enough but I'm trying the best I can to keep it alive and well.
 

Zara

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Please never breed again.

Also, I see a lot of air in the crop there.

Go and visit your local avian vet and seek urgent help. Ask for handfeeding advice.
It is not normal that the crop grows after feeding. It should grow whilst you feed the baby, then it gets smaller as time goes on and eventually the baby will cry indicating hunger.

Formula temp is soo important. Go and buy a thermometer, they are cheap from chemist.
 

Mockinbirdiva

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Does the chick feel warm to the touch when you pick it up? Make sure you don't mash or press on the crop. For some reason the crop may be filling with fluids since you fed it last. It's really important for you to keep it warm as well as feeding the formula at a correct temperature. If the formula is too cold it will slow down the digestion like I said in my first post. What exactly are you feeding this baby? You may be making the formula too thin. Do you have a heating pad that you could place under your box and cover it with a towel to keep it from being too hot for this tiny baby? When did the baby hatch?
 

Mockinbirdiva

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Victor, are you in the United States? We can help you find vets near you.
 

Mockinbirdiva

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Victor,
I did a google search on "air in baby cockatiels crop after feeding" and came up with this web page. PLEASE read it. It sounds like your baby already has a sour crop or yeast over growth. There are some instructions by this vet:
My baby cockatiel's crop is inflated and full of air, no food! The baby cockatiel is 9 days old and it always wants to


With a little gentle pressure and massage from the left side of the crop to the right side of the baby's crop, you should be able to push the air out of the crop, back up through the esophagus.

Nursing a baby through a sour crop takes a lot of nursing care, and the outcome isn't always good.

It's one of those things that is best learned side-by-side with the assistance of someone experienced with hand-feeding, as many different complications can arise.

Your baby is in need of care from an experienced veterinarian or aviculturist.
 

Mockinbirdiva

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Granted, your baby is much younger than this article but I hope some of the information is of help to you. Do as I say in keeping this baby warm, try to massage gently to get some of the air out and see a vet as soon as possible. If you can find a vet in the morning I would suggest letting them take care of it until it's weaned. I hope it will make it through this.
 

NotVictor

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Thank you guys for your advice and help. I'll be sure to update on the chick in the morning and will find the nearest bird vet in my area.
 

Zara

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A little air is normal in a much older baby. I find they are trying to swallow before I put the syringe in so they end up with a little air, but not like this little baby. That's a lot of air.
When I fed Adélie at 5 days old, she never had any air in her crop.
The crop on the chick in the picture is so strained it needs a vet and a break from food til it is gone.
 

NotVictor

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And yes I do live in the US and think I've seen a bird vet not to far from where I live.
 

NotVictor

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Once again thank you guys for the advice and I know I seem neglectful but when I saw the surviving baby bruised and bitten I had to take it out or else they would've killed it. I'm trying to go at this a day at a time and nobody else I know doesn't know what to do either.
 

Mockinbirdiva

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Thank you guys for your advice and help. I'll be sure to update on the chick in the morning and will find the nearest bird vet in my area.
Will look for your update in the morning Victor. No worries, you did a good thing to pull the baby but I do think it may be a good idea to let a more experienced person hand feed the little one for you. Your vet may know of a breeder that can help you out. It is a serious situation for this baby to survive. Keep the baby warm, see if you can follow those directions on massaging the air out to relieve some of the pressure. If it's too overwhelming hold off and get to the vet as soon as you can. Thanks for coming to us for some help. Wish I could do more...
 

NotVictor

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Thank you for the video and will try to massage the air out of the crop in the morning.
 

NotVictor

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It didn't go down, it stayed the same
 
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