Playing nursemaid to sick chicks

I had been contemplating adding a few more chickens to my flock.  Not many, just perhaps a couple of new ones.  I had not yet decided 100% if this was something I wanted to do or not.  I was still in the thinking stages of it.  But then, on Tuesday evening I got a knock at the door.  A young woman who I don't really know personally - I just know she lives near me - was standing there.  She said she knew that I raise chickens and she had three baby chicks that she wanted to get rid of.  Long story (very long) short, she had gotten chicks "for Easter" without knowing how to care for them and they were very, very sick.  There was a fourth one but it had died.  She wanted me to take the remaining ones so she wouldn't have to worry with them anymore.  

I can assure you I have a very long and detailed soapbox attached to people who are like this with animals, but I shall spare you.

I asked to see the chicks as they were at her house.  She said that was fine so we headed over to her home.  While on the way there I learned she had had them for five days and had only fed them worms.  When I got there I found three chicks, maybe 8 days old, in a plastic tub walking around in and covered with their own filth, with no bedding (can we say spraddle leg?), no food, no water (they were literally drinking the pee and poop in the tub), and no heat lamp or heat source whatsoever.  

I wanted to increase my flock just a little bit.  But not like this.  And I pretty much knew I was looking at 2 white rock crosses and one easter egger.  They were not the breeds that I wanted.  I did the neck test and if it holds true I also knew I may be looking at only one hen and two roos.  I didn't want any more roos.  

Not like this, Lord.  Please?

But what could I do?  This woman obviously knew nothing about baby chickens except that they were cute...before she got a hold of them.  And she didn't show any interest in learning.  I knew if I left them there with her they would starve or die in some other unsavory manner.  And I just don't have the heart to let that happen if I can stop it.

Ok Lord, like this then.

I took the chicks home and my son and I quickly got to work.  First order of business was getting a heat lamp over them.  You should have seen the almost immediate relief they had when I turned it on.  You could physically see them relax a bit.  Then I gave them fresh bedding to walk on.  Next I gave them some sugar water and cooked up a bit of cream of wheat to tide them over until I could get home from TSC with some chick feed.  It was when I was showing them where the water was (they actually didn't know how to eat or drink, it took them a while to figure it out) that I realized we had more problems than just possible pneumonia from being cold and starvation.  All of their crops were **horribly** swollen.  And I do mean horribly.  One was so bad the swelling wrapped all the way around it's shoulder area to it's back.  Their skin was tight and red and hot in the swollen areas.  

 See that red swollen area to the right of it's neck?  The pictures don't do justice to how bad it was.

Well, great.  I didn't know if they had a bunch of worms stuck in there or what.  

I quickly ran to the store to get the few supplies I needed for them that I didn't have on hand.  Got back home and set to work.   I medicated their water with Corid and Duramycin.  I also put apple cider vinegar and olive oil in their water.  The ACV goes a long way to keeping chickens healthy and I knew they needed the olive oil for their poor crops.  I made sure they had plenty of chick grit too.  I massaged their poor, swollen, quite sore I'm sure crops.  I checked them again before bed, massaging their crops once more.

I honestly didn't think they would live.

I got up early the next morning to find 3 active little peeps.  Their crops were still swollen but were visibly smaller and softer.  (Relieved sigh.)  I gave them each small doses of olive oil with a teeny tiny syringe.  Massaged their crops.  Kept their water medicated and grit readily available.

By yesterday my son was telling me he was certain we could save them and that they would live.  I was starting to think him right but didn't want him to get his hopes up too much lest we still lose them.  I needed to change their bedding out so while I did that he tucked them into his t-shirt held up at the bottom hammock style and walked them around the yard in the sun.  They enjoyed their little field trip and eventually all three fell asleep.

As of this writing, their little crops are still a tad bit swollen but light years better from where we were just 48 hours ago.  They are active and for all intents and purposes are acting like normal, healthy chicks.  Honestly, they probably would not have survived another night with that woman.

So I have some new chicks.  Not what I wanted or how I wanted them but that's how life goes most times, yes?  If any are female, I'll count it a victory and will be content regardless of their breed.  If any are roosters, well...I'll raise them right and they'll be happy chickens who will only have one bad day from here on out.  Honestly, my meat birds only ever have one bad day.  I don't know any people who can say that, lol!

So that's what I've been up to this week.  :0)  I'll share some "after" pics of them soon.

Good day everyone and God bless ~~