911! I NEED HELP!! Sick Chick - possible intestinal blockage?

[FickleFarm]

Got a batch of 50 chicks in on Monday. They are all doing great, living in a small kiddie pool in my kitchen. A few keep pasting up so I'm cleaning butts throughout the day.

One of my Cuckoo Maran babies has a wet yellow belly from constant (what i thought) diarreah. He is always huddling directly under the heat lamp and is often sleeping. Still drinking, but not eating.

Then I saw it this morning. He was straining his hardest to poop over and over again and only a bit of fluid was coming out with each push. HE'S BLOCKED! I got a q-tip with some vaseline and just rubbed the outside (just like I did with my newborn son) to stimulate. He pushed hard and only a VERY stinky fluid gushed out - you could see a bunch of poo packed up in there.

I cut the head of a q-tip off, filed it down with a nail file til it was soft and rounded and used more vaseline. I inserted it just a bit and got a bunch of poo out. Solid chunks...almost dry but not exactly.

He is still pushing, but just the fluid.

WHAT DO I DO?

 

[Brelansmama]

I've never dealt with that, but maybe give it a little olive oil? It might help get thinks moving.
I had one chick that was crop-bound, and I gave her plain yogurt mixed with a little olive oil, she recovered quickly.
I withheld food for 12 hours, only giving her the yogurt/olive oil mix & water.
I hope someone with more experience can help.....

 

[LovinMyChickies]

you might try soaking him in a warm bath. Just hold his bottom end under water for about ten minutes or so. the warmth may relax him and soften the clog. then dry him and put him back under the lamp.

I'm no Vet, but it could'nt hurt to try.

good luck.

 

[FickleFarm]

Thanks for the tips.
I already grabbed a dropper of olive oil and he happily drank it.
I will try the warm bath now.

I just dont know what else to do.
He MUST be in pain, becasue he has a hard belly - but he isn't showing any signs of distress really. Just sleeping alot and not eating. But he is, like I said, often at the water drinking. I've got the Quick Chick vitamins in there for them. They also got the Gro-Gel on the 1st day.

I dont want to be too quick to cull him if it will pass. But I hate the thought of him being in pain.

 

[FickleFarm]

Ok...I did the warm bath, he drank olive oil AND I did something that my husband thinks is hysterical. I gave the poor chickie an enima. Yep, just like when my kids were constipated, a warm milk & molasses enima. An old medicine dropper worked great for that! Hey...I'm trying everything I can to save this little guy.

He definitely has a blockage because it goes in and shoots right back out with some force. But I will keep it up every 30 minutes and maybe...just maybe...I'll dislodge whatever is blocked!!

I also realized that he N-E-V-E-R sits down. He sleeps standing up. It's got to be that rock hard belly that hurts him.

If anyone has any other ideas or experience with this, PLEASE let me know!
Thanks

 

[chickenhick]

I have only had experience with eggbound girls. But...I think the warm water treatment (not the enima, but the soaking) will probably help. Also, the oil, but not too much. Let us know....I have some babies right now and if this happens to me I want to know what works!!!!!

 

[CTChickenMom]

If you can get some plain yogurt in him that would be good for his gut and would help with the blockage. The drinking is the most important thing right now because if he were to get dehydrated while he's constipated, he'd be done for. Instead of the Vaseline, try some mineral oil. It is touted as a natural laxative. I think that's what is used in laxative suppositories. I if you do that and keep yogurt and/or olive oil coming down from the top (so to speak!) I think you'll get at the clog from both sides.

 

[FickleFarm]

The blocked chickie has lasted through the night!! He actually was laying down every time I checked on him - so he MUST be feeling better!! His rear end is VERY swollen still but it's not wet anymore from leaking fluid! This is a GREAT sign!

However, we did lose a speckled sussex baby suddenly around bedtime. It was so sudden. He just was very sleepy, kept opening his mouth over and over again, blew a few bubbles, some thick clear fluid came out and then he was gone. I have no idea what happened.

 

[Christycol]

The blocked chickie has lasted through the night!! He actually was laying down every time I checked on him - so he MUST be feeling better!! His rear end is VERY swollen still but it's not wet anymore from leaking fluid! This is a GREAT sign!

However, we did lose a speckled sussex baby suddenly around bedtime. It was so sudden. He just was very sleepy, kept opening his mouth over and over again, blew a few bubbles, some thick clear fluid came out and then he was gone. I have no idea what happened.

I have the same things going on with one of my chicks being obstructed. I’m trying everything!! Good luck!