Please help! Chicks are having issues

[loverofbirds14]

I'm really worried about some of my new three day old silkie chicks. Most of them are fine, but I've noticed that one of them keeps picking at his butt and when I went to clean off his pasty butt I noticed that he had a big red sore on the top of his vent. He won't stop picking at it even though I cleaned it up. I don't know how to stop him or what to do. I also noticed that he and a couple other chicks seem to be straining to poop. I don't know what's wrong with them! Can anyone help me?

 

[GitaBooks]

Straining is pretty normal with chicks, as long as they pass their droppings after straining.

As for pecking at the sore, you could try putting something that tastes bad on it so it will stop pecking at it. It may be that its itchy or hurts, you can try putting some medication on it (antibiotic ointment) but make sure the chick doesn't try to eat the ointment off.

I hope it heals up quickly. Best of luck!

 

[loverofbirds14]

It seems that the chick is mostly trying to clean off his pasty butt. The poop gets stuck every time, even though it looks pretty normal besides being watery and a little foamy. Now his vent is protruding too. He's eating, drinking and moving around just fine. I've never had a chick with a protruding vent before and I'm worried.

 

[GitaBooks]

It likely isn't a prolapse, its probably just swollen. Some chicks are more prone to getting droppings stuck on them then others. I have some that are a few weeks old and still a dirty, but thankfully they don't need cleaned off anymore as they keep it clean enough that it doesn't cause a problem to their health.