Taken 6.28.2012 - Davinci is now holding his head up and taking a few steps.

That is an air pocket in his full crop. It's caused in young birds by either bacteria or the amount of air they swallow during feeding. In this case, it's air; caused by shaking the syringe before feeding, to evenly distribute the heated formula after setting it in a cup of hot water.

One of the greatest fears when feeding young chicks is burning a hole in their gullet, fixable (albeit costly) with surgery. All it takes is one tiny hot spot in the formula to cause a gullet hole, which is why you need to shake it well before feeding.

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