5 day old chick swollen vent & diarrhea

[Kate D Mplwd]

Hi hive mind!

I have a 5 day old Australorp chick who at Day 2 had a little pastey butt situation. We were able to soak it and get it cleaned up in one gentle pass. Since then, her little vent has become very swollen/enlarged and seems to give her pain. She has been trying to poop a lot, and while when she does poop it looks normal or a little on the watery side, she has also just been passing liquid alone or even just a little gas.

She is eating, she is drinking (quite a bit). I have tried the baking soda in the water trick yesterday, and today just tried ACV in the water (we'll see how that goes). We've been keeping her butt area clean and put a little Prep H on her vent and reapplied tonight. I tried giving them all eggs and they were not interested. I read some suggestions of yogurt, but seems like dairy and probiotics would just make the diarrhea worse?? The vent area seems to bother her a lot, and she is constantly fiddling with it and crying when she does. Luckily the other 4 chicks have not been messing with her too much.

So my question is, is this cause for concern or other medication, or is this just a side effect of diarrhea? Are there any other tricks I should try?

Thanks so much. Here is a picture!

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

I had one with something similar. Mine would peep loudly every time she pooped and was actually prolapsing a bit. It has slowly resolved itself for now, but her bum is bare too. I didn't do anything, I considered the prep H, but had no luck using it on a prolapse before so I didn't use it. My chick is about 4 weeks now and is finally improving.

 

[Kate D Mplwd]

I had one with something similar. Mine would peep loudly every time she pooped and was actually prolapsing a bit. It has slowly resolved itself for now, but her bum is bare too. I didn't do anything, I considered the prep H, but had no luck using it on a prolapse before so I didn't use it. My chick is about 4 weeks now and is finally improving.

Wow, it took that long? How old was she when it started? That gives me hope. It looks bad compared to her tiny size, but I guess if she is still eating and drinking she will tough it out..

 

[Eggcessive]

What is the temperature on the floor of your brooder under your lamp (if you are using one?) Dehydration from shipping stress, too much heat, or not drinking enough can be common causes of constipation and pasty butt. Some chick vitamins contain probiotics, but only a tiny bit of plain yogurt can help get the gut flora normal. A little mineral oil (about 1/2 tsp mixed into food) might help lubricate things. Pasty butt usually doesn't last past a week or 10 days if they are eating, drinking normally. Some chicks will try eating pine shavings and get plugged up. Hopefully it will clear up soon, unless there is something wrong inside.

 

[Kate D Mplwd]

What is the temperature on the floor of your brooder under your lamp (if you are using one?) Dehydration from shipping stress, too much heat, or not drinking enough can be common causes of constipation and pasty butt. Some chick vitamins contain probiotics, but only a tiny bit of plain yogurt can help get the gut flora normal. A little mineral oil (about 1/2 tsp mixed into food) might help lubricate things. Pasty butt usually doesn't last past a week or 10 days if they are eating, drinking normally. Some chicks will try eating pine shavings and get plugged up. Hopefully it will clear up soon, unless there is something wrong inside.

Hey there, brooder is at 95 still. Constipation isn't the issue, it's diarrhea. It seems like probiotics, yogurt, and oil would be to get things moving. Anything that makes it solidify a bit?

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Wow, it took that long? How old was she when it started? That gives me hope. It looks bad compared to her tiny size, but I guess if she is still eating and drinking she will tough it out..

It has certainly been something I never seen before. I had though she might had died at some point, she even fell behind on growth, but now is catching up. I don't know what was wrong with her, she was like this from the start, she is a bantam that was sexed, so I wonder if her being vent sexed had something to do with it. I have had other bantams vent sexed but have never had a problem before. I didn't intervene because she ate and drank and ran, and was fine until she needed to poop. None of the other chicks bothered her so I let her be. I don't know what I would have done anyways.

 

[Kate D Mplwd]

It has certainly been something I never seen before. I had though she might had died at some point, she even fell behind on growth, but now is catching up. I don't know what was wrong with her, she was like this from the start, she is a bantam that was sexed, so I wonder if her being vent sexed had something to do with it. I have had other bantams vent sexed but have never had a problem before. I didn't intervene because she ate and drank and ran, and was fine until she needed to poop. None of the other chicks bothered her so I let her be. I don't know what I would have done anyways.

Wow, she's tough. Yeah, I've heard that about sexing. Can cause irritation. Mine were sexed as well (no Roo's in our township!). Thanks for your thoughts!