Urgent Baby cockatiel red and swollen crop

[zinihe0718]

I have recently hatched a baby cockatiel and it is 13 days old but 2 days ago, I found out that the baby’s crop was turning red and a bit swollen. We had always feed it at the correct temp around 40 degrees and it has always been in its brooder. It kind of looks like it was burned and it starts from the throat to the middle of its crop. It had started blistering today and it looks like its spreading down a bit. The skin is thicker and swollen and we put some ointment on it. We dont have any access to any avian vets especially for a baby this small and I couldn’t find anything on the internet. Any advice?

 

[expressmailtome]

Bump.

 

[Birdbabe]

That looks like serious crop burn,
@Melissa
@Zara
If possible, get that baby to the vet, hope hes gonna be ok..

 

[Mockinbirdiva]

Are you 100% sure you are feeding at the correct temperature? Using a reliable thermometer to test the temp? 40 degrees Celsius is fine and not over 42 degrees Celsius to be accurate and avoid too hot of a temp. Did you microwave the formula? If you did this could be a cause in an uneven temperature of the formula. Crop burn is generally caused by feeding formula that is too hot (>110ºF or 43.3ºC) or less commonly, contact with a heat lamp or heating pad.
You need to keep an eye on this especially since a blister has formed... and hoping it doesn't lead to a hole in the crop which will present a very serious issue as formula can leak through that hole. Is this baby still taking formula? Are you feeding by syringe or how? Is there a heating pad under the container you are keeping the baby in?

This paragraph on crop burn is from the link attached below for you to read.


Crop burns occur when a bird is fed food that is too hot .This often occurs in handfed babies that are fed microwaved formula with "hot spots" due to improper mixing.The desired temperature ranges from 105-107 degrees Fahrenheit. Ideally, breeders measure the temperature with a digital thermometer, but if this is not available, breeders are using the inside of their wrist or squirt a drop of the formula on their lips to test the temperature. Eventually your wrist will desensitize to the warmth of the formula and you risk serious burns or feeding food that is too cool for the chick. However, the latter carries its risks, as human skin tends to desensitize to heat.

If detected early, flush the crop with cold water. If crop appears swollen and discolored, apply vitamin A and D ointment and feed small meals.

Several hours after feeding, the skin over the crop appears red. Owners may miss the early signs and only realize there is a problem when food or fluid leaks out of the crop onto the bird's feathers. The veterinarian will place the bird on antifungals and antibiotics while waiting for the extent of the burn to become apparent. Surgical repair will be necessary to remove damaged tissue and close the crop and the overlying skin.

Crop Burns

Crop burns occur when a bird is fed food that is too hot .This often occurs in handfed babies that are fed microwaved formula with "hot spots" due to improper mixing.

www.beautyofbirds.com

​

 

[Mockinbirdiva]

I meant to add to my post this is an urgent injury and I strongly advise you to seek the help of a veterinarian. It's not something that can be taken care of by the internet... your baby will undoubtedly need antibiotics specific for this.

 

[zinihe0718]

Thanks for all the replies! Sadly we do not have any vets at our disposal currently. We have been giving him antibiotics and putting papaw ointment on his crop and I believe it’s getting better. From the looks of it, the redness and swolleness are from the skin outside and not inside and the redness has died down a bit since yesterday. We have been feeding small portions every hour and giving him doxycycline twice a day. We are still unsure as to how this happened because we are very careful about the temperature of his food. Is there any possibility that this was cause by friction from wooden shavings? Thanks again!

 

[Mockinbirdiva]

Thanks for all the replies! Sadly we do not have any vets at our disposal currently. We have been giving him antibiotics and putting papaw ointment on his crop and I believe it’s getting better. From the looks of it, the redness and swolleness are from the skin outside and not inside and the redness has died down a bit since yesterday. We have been feeding small portions every hour and giving him doxycycline twice a day. We are still unsure as to how this happened because we are very careful about the temperature of his food. Is there any possibility that this was cause by friction from wooden shavings? Thanks again!

Doubtful the wood shavings could cause that but we honestly cannot diagnose what the problem is simply by looking at a photo. What type of wood shavings are you using? Can we have a photo of what you have been keeping the baby in? Are there other babies too? And perhaps another photo of the baby without the covering on? I have no idea what a vet would prescribe for this. You didn't say how you heat the formula or how you measure the temperature of the formula, and do you use a heating pad or some source of heat this baby could have been in contact with?

@enigma731 Do you have a clue about antibiotics for a possible burn? I'm not sure what to make of this injury.

 

[enigma731]

I don't and I worry that the wrong medication could very easily make it worse. Sorry.

 

[zinihe0718]

Doubtful the wood shavings could cause that but we honestly cannot diagnose what the problem is simply by looking at a photo. What type of wood shavings are you using? Can we have a photo of what you have been keeping the baby in? Are there other babies too? And perhaps another photo of the baby without the covering on? I have no idea what a vet would prescribe for this. You didn't say how you heat the formula or how you measure the temperature of the formula, and do you use a heating pad or some source of heat this baby could have been in contact with?

@enigma731 Do you have a clue about antibiotics for a possible burn? I'm not sure what to make of this injury.

We’ve been using some hamster wood bedding for his grip from about 2 days before this happened. We have moved him to an ice cream cup with shredded tissue paper. Sadly he is the only baby that was hatched out of 4 eggs so there are no other babies besides him.
For food, we usually boil water and keep it in a thermos. We take out a bit of the water and mix it with the formula and we measure it with a candy thermometer. We feed him with a syringe with a rubber tip to prevent any incidents.
The only heat exposure that I can really think of was moving him from the incubator to the brooder. Our brooder is powered by a heater and not a fan so the temperature and the humidity is harder to control. We had to move him because he was standing so tall he started to bite the ceiling of the incubator. The brooder is quite big and we had him in a plastic container so he has no contact with any high heat. We are very confused as to how this could have happened.

 

[Zara]

Sadly he is the only baby that was hatched out of 4 eggs so there are no other babies besides him.

My mom and I decided to hatch some cockatiel eggs and they came out very successful with 2 cockatiels and both of them have recently stopped digesting properly. We realised that we were feed the babies with formula a bit too thick and not hot enough. After waiting for about 8 hours, a friend told us to pump it out of the crop to risk infection so we did. Today is the next day and we realised that one of the babies’ crops turned darker (...)

What happened to the other chick?

You need to keep an eye on this especially since a blister has formed... and hoping it doesn't lead to a hole in the crop which will present a very serious issue as formula can leak through that hole.

This is a very serious concern. If this results in a hole, the chick will need surgery under anesthetic to sew the hole up on both layers. Followed by daily medication.
There is only so much we can do as a forum.

Are there any vets in neighbouring towns/cities? You may have to travel far.

 

[zinihe0718]

What happened to the other chick?


This is a very serious concern. If this results in a hole, the chick will need surgery under anesthetic to sew the hole up on both layers. Followed by daily medication.
There is only so much we can do as a forum.

Are there any vets in neighbouring towns/cities? You may have to travel far.

The other chick sadly didn’t make it and passed away. I have tried to look into any vets near our area however none of them specialize in the avian field and won’t accept such a small baby. The peculiar thing about this is that the redness seems to spread slowly because it had first started out near the throat and now it’s closer to the bottom. From what I’ve reading on the internet is that burns usually don’t spread. Along with that, the blistering has stopped since we applied the ointment so currently we’re just giving it intensive care.

 

[Zara]

the redness seems to spread slowly because it had first started out near the throat and now it’s closer to the bottom

Red skin is a sign of dehydration.
How are you preparing formula? Which brand?

 

[zinihe0718]

Red skin is a sign of dehydration.
How are you preparing formula? Which brand?

We give him A21 with electrolytes and mostly water. Around 1.5ml per hour

 

[Zara]

with electrolytes

What do you mean? In the formula or extra?

This fórmula is complete and you only need to mix in water as per the instructions and serve at 105F.

Make up formula and feed it 3 or 4 times a day depending on their development stage.
They should eat approx 10% of their body weight per feeding.

Do not save food for later, it must be made fresh each time using hot water.

Do not reheat leftovers. I say this twice because it's so important.

Follow the instructions closely ro be sure your bird is getting enough liquid.

Allow the crop to empty completely overnight. When you do the first feed of the day, the crop will be completely empty to start.

 

[Mockinbirdiva]

We’ve been using some hamster wood bedding for his grip from about 2 days before this happened. We have moved him to an ice cream cup with shredded tissue paper. Sadly he is the only baby that was hatched out of 4 eggs so there are no other babies besides him.
For food, we usually boil water and keep it in a thermos. We take out a bit of the water and mix it with the formula and we measure it with a candy thermometer. We feed him with a syringe with a rubber tip to prevent any incidents.
The only heat exposure that I can really think of was moving him from the incubator to the brooder. Our brooder is powered by a heater and not a fan so the temperature and the humidity is harder to control. We had to move him because he was standing so tall he started to bite the ceiling of the incubator. The brooder is quite big and we had him in a plastic container so he has no contact with any high heat. We are very confused as to how this could have happened.

The hamster wood bedding.... is it cedar wood? If so, cedar wood or pine shavings:

Please note that wood shavings - such as pine, cedar and redwood - give off aromatic hydrocarbons (phenols) and acids that are toxic and very damaging to the respiratory tract. They should not be used in cages, aviaries, or nestboxes.

3. Pine Shavings: Please note that wood shavings - such as pine, cedar and redwood - give off aromatic hydrocarbons (phenols) and acids that are toxic and very damaging to the respiratory tract. They should not be used in cages, aviaries, or nestboxes.

Aspen wood shavings are safe in a larger size so the chick doesn't ingest any as it grows older and starts to investigate it's surroundings. Shredded non printed paper is also a good substrate. I'm glad you moved the baby to the shredded tissue paper. Would like to see what the brooder actually is. You should know what the temperature of the inside of the brooder is with a digital thermometer that also has a humidity reading.

 

[Mockinbirdiva]

We’ve been using some hamster wood bedding for his grip from about 2 days before this happened. We have moved him to an ice cream cup with shredded tissue paper. Sadly he is the only baby that was hatched out of 4 eggs so there are no other babies besides him.
For food, we usually boil water and keep it in a thermos. We take out a bit of the water and mix it with the formula and we measure it with a candy thermometer. We feed him with a syringe with a rubber tip to prevent any incidents.
The only heat exposure that I can really think of was moving him from the incubator to the brooder. Our brooder is powered by a heater and not a fan so the temperature and the humidity is harder to control. We had to move him because he was standing so tall he started to bite the ceiling of the incubator. The brooder is quite big and we had him in a plastic container so he has no contact with any high heat. We are very confused as to how this could have happened.

So wait... I missed something, on top of that I'm confused after reading through this thread. Is this the same baby you posted about that had veins in the crop on 5-6-20? You mentioned only one chick hatched out of 4 eggs and on 5-6 you wrote this :

My mom and I decided to hatch some cockatiel eggs and they came out very successful with 2 cockatiels and both of them have recently stopped digesting properly.

Are you feeding this baby with a syringe or inserting a tube down the esophagus and into the crop? As delicate as they are you could have punctured or caused injury to the esophagus or crop which may or may not explain the redness if... if the crop wasn't burned.

 

[Zara]

Is this the same baby you posted about that had veins in the crop on 5-6-20?

Are you feeding this baby with a syringe or inserting a tube down the esophagus and into the crop?

Also, these chicks got their crops emptied by someone inexperienced. Another thing that could have caused the injury.

 

[Mockinbirdiva]

Also, these chicks got their crops emptied by someone inexperienced. Another thing that could have caused the injury.

I read that after part of your quote in this post: ( which is why I was confused about this chick... if it's the same one, the chick in this post doesn't look the same as in the 5-6 post)

911 - Baby cockatiel veins in crop

My mom and I decided to hatch some cockatiel eggs and they came out very successful with 2 cockatiels and both of them have recently stopped digesting properly. We realised that we were feed the babies with formula a bit too thick and not hot enough. After waiting for about 8 hours, a friend...

forums.avianavenue.com

My mom and I decided to hatch some cockatiel eggs and they came out very successful with 2 cockatiels and both of them have recently stopped digesting properly. We realised that we were feed the babies with formula a bit too thick and not hot enough. After waiting for about 8 hours, a friend told us to pump it out of the crop to risk infection so we did. Today is the next day and we realised that one of the babies’ crops turned darker and the veins were not there anymore. It turns out we shouldnt have pumped the crop at all and used probiotics. The baby is very weak right now and we dont know what to do. Can’t find anything online either. We are first time owners so we dont really know what we’re doing. We don’t have any access to avian vets near us and have been doing everything at home. We really need help and we really want the baby to get better.

 

[finchly]

So how is the baby doing?

Did you remove the hamster shavings (dangerous)?

This crop looks terrible, I’m wondering if the baby is able to eat with it like this?

You could possibly put a tiny drop of aloe, fresh or if you use bottled be sure there are NO additives. Anything other than water/aloe can hurt the bird. You would put this bit of aloe into the formula.

Also I wonder how you are feeding it, are you letting the baby beg and eat from the dropper or spoon? If you are putting food directly into the crop, stop doing it and switch to letting him beg. They need to learn when they are hungry and not hungry.

 

[finchly]

How far away is the nearest vet who is willing to see the bird? Even if they aren’t an avian specialist. Some of our members drive 2 or 3 hours to get to a vet.