Can chicks get hemorrhoids??

[PulletSurpriseWinner]

Hi, all:

We are trying to raise our very first chicks, they're nine days old. They're all eating, drinking, growing, and very very busy! We've named them all and are very attached to them already.

Our buff Brahma bantam, Patty, had some poop stuck to her bottom. I'd removed it using warm water and towels, and had concerns that it may have irritated her vent. She peeps loudly when she eliminates; it obviously hurts her. Her vent looks distended when she goes, and even when she's not going it looks sore and swollen. According to the "poop chart", her feces are normal.

I've been applying antibiotic ointment as recommended by another member. It has brought her some relief, but it isn't curing the problem. I know it sounds gross, but she seems almost like a human who has hemorrhoids. Is this possible? Can she be treated with hemorrhoid cream?

Other than the problems pooping, she seems okay. She's developing rapidly; in fact she's the quickest and toughest chick to catch, in addition to having the most developed wings.

I hope there is something that can be done to help her. I feel very guilty because it seems likely that her misery was caused by my ignorance.

A lot of my coworkers keep or have kept chickens; but they're not much help because they don't keep them as pets. What they're suggesting is simply to do nothing; let her ride it out and hope she gets over it. I e-mailed a couple friends from my childhood home (Maine) who kept chickens and they're saying the best thing to do about a sick chick is kill it before it sickens the others. (I'm convinced she doesn't have a disease.) The method used back in those days was to crush a chick to death and I'm not doing that to Patty! One common point they all make is one pretty much has to vet one's own chickens.

It seems like we're doing all the right things here but obviously we've missed something with Patty. I'm having second thoughts about raising chicks- it seems to consist mostly of constant watching and worry. Not a lot of enjoyment here. But now we're committed, and I have to find a way to help her out.

Please weigh in with your opinions!

Thanks, -Dave- "Pullet Surprise Winner"

 

[Judy]

It will get easier with time, really! First, take some deep breaths!

She probably has a little bit of prolapse from the poopy butt. Sometimes a chick has to be cleaned several times, but with some attention they usually recover. After I had one with the problem you describe, I started cleaning my poopy butt chicks by holding them under a slow stream of warm running water. Takes longer, but doesn't cause any trauma. Then continue with the antibiotic ointment -- or you can use Vaseline or even the hemorrhoid ointment, but I probably wouldn't go out and buy a tube.

You can try giving them all a treat of a little live culture yogurt. They will probably accept it best mixed with some chick feed or a scrambled egg. You can also try adding a little organic apple cider vinegar to the water, about a tablespoon to a gallon -- Bragg's is the brand our grocery stores have, when they carry it.

There is no instant cure, it takes time, but they should get over it in time.