Baby chick stepped on with poopy shoe

[FriendsChicks]

Hello. A baby chick (3 days old, hatched under broody) was accidentally stepped on by a child. The Chick was sort of flat and not moving for about a minute and then it perked up a bit and started standing and walking. Eventually it went under Mom and so we're just letting it stay there for now and will keep checking on it.

I know that at this point we just have to watch it and see if it continues to get stronger or weaker.
My question is: the shoe had a lot of poop on it (broody poop) and the chic definitely got quite a bit of poop on its little fuzz. It was quite wet (at first, I thought, from injury) but then could tell by the smell that the moisutre was from poop on it.

At this point, I'm as concerned about the poop as I am about possibly injuries from the accident.
Should I try to bathe the chick? Or any other recommended action?
Do I need to be concerned about the other babies being so close to poop on this chick's feathers?

As I said, right now the chick went under the mama with the other chicks and so we are just leaving them alone for a bit. But it just occured to me that poopy feathers might not be good for the other chicks too? (there 3 chicks total)


Thanks for any advice.

 

[coach723]

Don't worry about the poop. They live in an environment that is full of poop. Once the chick dries, it will come off. If it survives being stepped on, it should be fine, and it won't hurt the others either.

 

[FriendsChicks]

Thank you for that.
Anything else I should do in terms of being stepped on? Specifically things to look out for? She seems to be doing pretty well now. She's still moving a little slow but she's moving around, peeping, eating. How would I know if she has internal injuries?

 

[coach723]

There really isn't any way to know for sure. If it's eating and drinking and pooping, those are all good signs. If it starts to fade, then the injuries might be more serious. It's hard to do much for them when they are so small. Hopefully, just sore and bruised. Do check on it, if it has trouble the mama might abandon it, or even attack it. Good luck with it. No matter how careful you are, things happen. We've all been there. Hope it survives and the child isn't too upset.

 

[Holdthechicken]

There really isn't any way to know for sure. If it's eating and drinking and pooping, those are all good signs. If it starts to fade, then the injuries might be more serious. It's hard to do much for them when they are so small. Hopefully, just sore and bruised. Do check on it, if it has trouble the mama might abandon it, or even attack it. Good luck with it. No matter how careful you are, things happen. We've all been there. Hope it survives and the child isn't too upset.

As the mom to two well meaning toddlers, this is a very kind message.

 

[FriendsChicks]

Thank you so much for your kindness and encouragement. Are there warning signs that the Mama might abandon it -- something that should signal that I should try to separate it? So far, the chick is seeming more and more "normal", is interacting with Mama and other chicks, etc.

 

[coach723]

It may be just fine, as tiny and delicate as they are, they are also very resilient. If it looks pretty normal, then likely no broken bones, and with internal injuries there's really nothing you can do. If all is well right now, I'd just check in the morning and see how it's doing. With a little luck, all will be well. If mama was pecking at it, trying to drive it away, not letting it get under her, then it would indicate a problem. The hen would likely know something was wrong before you would. Fingers crossed!

 

[FriendsChicks]

Thank you for the reply. So far Mama seems fine and all is "normal" - I'll check in the a.m. Appreciate all the input. Hoping for the best.

 

[FriendsChicks]

Just an update that several days later, the chick is looking good! So relieved!

 

[coach723]

That's awesome for all of you! Glad all is well and thank you for updating!