Baby Silkie Prolapse Vent & Possibly Torn. Please Help! It's been 2 days

[Mamahenjen]

Hi! I have a baby Silkie about 1 week old with a prolapse vent and some of it is protruding out a lot. We're not sure if there is a tear as well since the chick is so small, it's hard to see what's going on and this is our first time encountering this. Been looking online and reading advice on what to do and we've been trying to push the prolapse vent back in after cleaning but it's not staying in. It's bleeding a little sometimes as well. We couldn't find a Vetericyn spray so we're using MicrocynAH instead which the staff said was similar. Is that fine?

It's been about 2 days and seems like it's getting worse. The prolapse is actually hanging out quite a bit and I feel our case might be more severe than most. ): I attached some photos below. Sorry it's not the best quality! The baby chick was separated from others as soon as we realized what it was and he/she is still pooping (Mostly cecal but I did see a normal one before writing this), eating, drinking water, and moving around fine right now. Just tried putting a little bit of sugar in the water because I read that it'll help keep it hydrated. The baby chick chirps a lot probably because it's separated and probably making it worse.

Has anyone had experience with a prolapse like this one and any advice / suggestions on what to do to help this little one? ); We're afraid of the chick not making it if we still can't treat it soon and don't want it to suffer either. Putting it down is out of the question for us and not sure if there's any vet in our area specializing in poultry that would know what to do. Please help and thank you!

 

[tigger19687]

If it was mine I would euthanize it as I feel it would be the most humane thing to do.
There is probably something else wrong inside when it was developed.

 

[Tsnn]

My chickens vet is an exotic vet because like you putting it down not an option. If there’s an exotic vet in the area call or call mine I’m in Raleigh NC and see your options

 

[Wyorp Rock]

How is she doing?

You can try soaking in a warm epsom salt bath or using warm compresses. The tissue needs to be kept moist with an ointment so it doesn't dry out. You can use honey, anti-inflammatory ointment, vaseline, coconut oil, even prep H.
Keep the chick hydrated. I would give her small chunks of coconut oil to consume this will help her pass stool.

Give her a few days if you wish since she's relatively active and eating/drinking, see how it goes. If she becomes lethargic, then it's time to let her go.

 

[Mamahenjen]

My chickens vet is an exotic vet because like you putting it down not an option. If there’s an exotic vet in the area call or call mine I’m in Raleigh NC and see your options

Yes, can I get the contact to your vet please? I'm located in Cali and looked up vets that may specialize in poultry nearby but, unfortunately, didn't find any.

Do you know what the vet may charge for a phone call if any? Thank you!

 

[Mamahenjen]

If it was mine I would euthanize it as I feel it would be the most humane thing to do.
There is probably something else wrong inside when it was developed.

I think it might have been from straining when it had pasty butt and we weren't able to clear that for it soon enough ); I wouldn't even know how to go about euthanizing it and wouldn't have the heart to do that myself. Is that something you would bring to the vet to do..?

 

[Mamahenjen]

How is she doing?

You can try soaking in a warm epsom salt bath or using warm compresses. The tissue needs to be kept moist with an ointment so it doesn't dry out. You can use honey, anti-inflammatory ointment, vaseline, coconut oil, even prep H.
Keep the chick hydrated. I would give her small chunks of coconut oil to consume this will help her pass stool.

Give her a few days if you wish since she's relatively active and eating/drinking, see how it goes. If she becomes lethargic, then it's time to let her go.

Thank you for your reply!

I didn't know that and will try putting some vaseline. Hopefully it's not too late . Is epsom salt for human baths like the one attached ok to use?

She's still active this morning chirping and excited to eat. Poor baby. Do I need to crush her chick crumbles more? Not sure if I should try to push the prolapse back again..?

Would you happen to know if chickens are able to live with a prolapse like this? But assuming it can and is a female, I'm worried how she'll be able to pass her eggs in the future which might be problematic and painful );

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Normally you want to use epsom salts with no additives, but if it's only got coconut oil in it and it's not too aromatic, that will probably be ok.

If the chick starter crumbles are too large for her to handle, you can grind them up smaller or just soak the feed for about 15-20 minutes in warm water to make it into a mash. My chicks love wet feed. I only make just a little at a time. Try both if you wish, dry and wet...

Your goal should be getting the prolapsed tissue back inside. Whether the chick will be able to retain it and heal ok is yet to be seen.
Sometime no matter what we do it may not be repairable, but it's worth trying for a few days IF she's not in pain/misery, is able to move about, alert and can eat/drink on her own.

 

[Mamahenjen]

Normally you want to use epsom salts with no additives, but if it's only got coconut oil in it and it's not too aromatic, that will probably be ok.

If the chick starter crumbles are too large for her to handle, you can grind them up smaller or just soak the feed for about 15-20 minutes in warm water to make it into a mash. My chicks love wet feed. I only make just a little at a time. Try both if you wish, dry and wet...

Your goal should be getting the prolapsed tissue back inside. Whether the chick will be able to retain it and heal ok is yet to be seen.
Sometime no matter what we do it may not be repairable, but it's worth trying for a few days IF she's not in pain/misery, is able to move about, alert and can eat/drink on her own.

Thank you so much! Decided not to use the epsom salt since there's many other ingredients that I'm not sure about.

This is how it looks right now. Seems to have gotten slightly better..

She's still active and purrs for the smallest things like when she finds a ray of sunlight. She's such a sweetie. Going to continue cleaning, applying spray and vaseline, etc. and hoping for the best

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Thank you so much! Decided not to use the epsom salt since there's many other ingredients that I'm not sure about.

This is how it looks right now. Seems to have gotten slightly better..

She's still active and purrs for the smallest things like when she finds a ray of sunlight. She's such a sweetie. Going to continue cleaning, applying spray and vaseline, etc. and hoping for the best

I'm hopeful she will continue to improve.
Could be lighting, but it doesn't look quite as raw and maybe less protrusion too(?)
Your doing all you can.

Chicks are such sweet little things. Please keep me posted on how she's doing.