5wk chick having trouble pooping, red swollen vent - help!

Eggsakly said:

If she's having difficulty, soften her food by soaking it in water before giving it to her, or conversely, grinding it.   If you grind it, still you should mix it with wetter foods, like the yogurt.  Use plain, high quality yogurt with active cultures and without sugar.   Just put her starter feed in a jar and add water until it is soaked and softened and a bit broken down for her.

Sometimes even the chick starter is a bit big or too much for them, and they need things a little easier to digest for a day or three.

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Do I need to separate her from my other chicks or is it OK for all of them? I do have one other that I had to clean it's him earlier today. The others are all doing good.

I was here trying to figure out the same problem for a week old chick. Already trying Prep H but I'm going to try honey right now and give her a warm butt soak in the morning if it doesn't help!

All the chicks can eat the ground and/or softened food. Just make sure they don't make a mess of themselves and get wet food stuck to their fuzz. If your chicks show any sign of swelling that causes the others to peck at them, then they must be separated. But unless that is taking place, they can all eat the baby food.

My 3 week old silkie chicken Little Grey has trouble pooping after a few hard pushes she does go but it takes time. She's not constipated but she's constantly has a crying painful chirp when she tries to poop and her vent is red. She seems like she's in pain when ever she needs to poop is there anything I can do to help her.

This is copied from my post on the previous page. It is how I handled my chick's problem, and my chicken is doing great and is now 10 months old.

" I placed her in a small pet carrier in my large brooder to keep her separate from the other chicks but with access to the heat lamp for warmth. The first thing I did was to start grinding her food in a coffee grinder. She was my smallest bantam and she couldn't handle the chick starter food. I made sure to include some crushed fresh grapes and yogurt in with the chick starter when I fed her. I very gently cleaned her vent area with a q-tip and tepid water before applying medication. I applied Preparation H a couple of times a day to her vent. She was immediately more comfortable and her heartrending cries whenever she pooped stopped altogether. It still took close to three weeks before she could go back in with the others and eat regular food, but she made it and has been fine ever since. "

Watch your chick closely, because the inflamed, reddened tissue will cause the other chicks to peck at the skin and it could turn bad quickly. Good luck.