2 week old chick has VERY red butt and is pecking at it

[jhoskinson]

Just noticed about an hour ago that our youngest chick (the others are 1 week older than her) has a very red, swollen butt. She seems otherwise pretty energetic and the other chicks do not seem to be pecking at her. However, she is pecking at it herself. We took her out and put a thick layer of neosporin on it in the hopes that it will do something -- at the very least stop her from pecking at it. We've separated her from the others and she has her own food and water. But, we're new at this and, having already lost 2 chicks we're a little worried about her.

It's late and our feed store doesn't open until 9am so we're just hoping we can do something to give her the best chance of making it through the night.

Thank you in advance for any help you can offer!

 

[SireniaSolaris]

I, too, am very curious about this as one of my chicks that just hatched has something that looks like this. I think I should wait for it to fluff up before applying any antibiotic ointments, but I would like to know if anything else should be done.

 

[subhanalah]

Just noticed about an hour ago that our youngest chick (the others are 1 week older than her) has a very red, swollen butt. She seems otherwise pretty energetic and the other chicks do not seem to be pecking at her. However, she is pecking at it herself. We took her out and put a thick layer of neosporin on it in the hopes that it will do something -- at the very least stop her from pecking at it. We've separated her from the others and she has her own food and water. But, we're new at this and, having already lost 2 chicks we're a little worried about her. It's late and our feed store doesn't open until 9am so we're just hoping we can do something to give her the best chance of making it through the night. Thank you in advance for any help you can offer!

this looks like a prolapse. You can try putting some olive oil or coconut oil or a water based lubricant on it. Keep it from the other chicks, they will begin to eat this one from the vent forward. They can't resist a big-shiny red, engorged area without pecking.

I, too, am very curious about this as one of my chicks that just hatched has something that looks like this. I think I should wait for it to fluff up before applying any antibiotic ointments, but I would like to know if anything else should be done.

what you are probably experiencing is not this, but an umbilical hernia. If it is an umbilical hernia, I wouldn't touch it, maybe spray with veterycin or blue kote, but I wouldn't use a q-tip or gauze/cotton ball, I'd be too afraid to hurt it.

 

[thehackleguy]

A small dab of Preperation H can help reduce swelling and allow everything to go back into place. Keep an eye on it for infection.

 

[SireniaSolaris]

this looks like a prolapse.
You can try putting some olive oil or coconut oil or a water based lubricant on it.
Keep it from the other chicks, they will begin to eat this one from the vent forward. They can't resist a big-shiny red, engorged area without pecking.
what you are probably experiencing is not this, but an umbilical hernia.
If it is an umbilical hernia, I wouldn't touch it, maybe spray with veterycin or blue kote, but I wouldn't use a q-tip or gauze/cotton ball, I'd be too afraid to hurt it.

So should I just leave it alone? Will it heal by itself or wouldn't it get infected?

 

[jhoskinson]

A friend of the family who has raised chickens for years took one look at her and said it was a prolapse and that it was best to euthanize her. She said, we could treat it and it might appear "better" but if she were to survive long enough to lay eggs, she would be unable to and it would cause her a very painful death as the eggs would be stuck inside of her.

So, that's what we did. I didn't envision having to do this when we started this adventure. Less than 3 weeks in and we've lost 3 of the 6. This was by far the hardest....

 

[thehackleguy]

Raising chickens is one of the most rewarding and fun.......maddning, frustrating, and down right depressing hobby ever invented. And I've been doing it for over 30 years!

On the note of the prolapse, if you were able to treat it I wouldn't necessarily say it will prolapse at an adult, they have a lot of growning and structural changes that go on durring that 16 weeks. That being said, I euthanize anything with any defects at all....I raise a lot of birds.

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

Raising chickens is one of the most rewarding and fun.......maddning, frustrating, and down right depressing hobby ever invented. And I've been doing it for over 30 years!

On the note of the prolapse, if you were able to treat it I wouldn't necessarily say it will prolapse at an adult, they have a lot of growning and structural changes that go on durring that 16 weeks. That being said, I euthanize anything with any defects at all....I raise a lot of birds.

Agreed

 

[subhanalah]

So should I just leave it alone? Will it heal by itself or wouldn't it get infected?

keep the brooder clean, can you get some vetericyn or blue kote spray?

 

[GOLDENSEABRIGHT]

did you try sexing it... if you did its a prolapse