Chick not pooping and weird air sac

[sunflowa20]

Hey everyone. We had 3 chicks hatch on Tuesday from an incubator. One had a bit of shell stuck to its back and wing. A bit like a hunchbacked tortoise.

It’s weaker and smaller than the other 2 chicks so I am trying to nurse it back to health. These are my fathers hobby but I do all the sad stuff. I think it’s a Rhode Island Red Cross.

Chick is smaller. And less active. First day I gave it egg yolk to boost it. Since then it’s on water and chick starter. Non medicated.

It had pasty butt on Wednesday but I cleaned it with a q-tip and warm water and popped on some coconut oil.

Since then it’s not pasted over again but it’s straining to poop. Only white stuff comes out and a bit of blood sometimes. It’s bum is always wet, I am guessing from the urea since hardly anything solid comes out. Its vent is inflamed and it’s whole bum area is red.

It is eating and drinking and chirping away but its poop situation is not improving. After reading loads more threads I have added a drop of ACV to the water and given it some coconut oil to eat.

But I just noticed some sort of air sac under its skin between the wing shoulder and neck.

I would appreciate any advice to get this little one feeling better. Thank you!!

 

[Yah]

I could be really wrong but she look like she might a few symptoms of Coccidiosis .
Do you have any Corid on hand or maybe a close tractor supply store for Corid???

 

[sunflowa20]

I could be really wrong but she look like she might a few symptoms of Coccidiosis .
Do you have any Corid on hand or maybe a close tractor supply store for Corid???

Sadly no one around here seems to stock it. I have ordered some online in the meantime but will continue to look tomorrow.

 

[coach723]

She's too young for coccidiosis. Continue with the coconut oil daily, if she's constipated it will help. Some chicks just don't thrive. Since she's smaller and weaker than the others, that may be the case. Sometimes no matter what you do, they just don't make it. It could be an incubation issue, things not developed correctly inside where you can't see. Make sure she's got the correct temperature for her age and can get in and out of the heat source (heat lamp or brooder plate) so she can regulate her temperature. Too cold and too warm can also contribute to pasty butt. Make sure she's drinking well as well as eating.
She looks like she has a ruptured air sac also. That happens sometimes if they get banged around by hatchmates, run into things, etc. Those will sometimes resolve on their own. If it continues to get larger, or she seems to be having trouble breathing, you can release the air. If it's stable and she's doing ok, then I would watch and wait on that, see if it resolves on it's own. To release the air, wipe the area with some antiseptic, use a sterilized sewing needle, pinch up the skin where the air is and prick just the skin with the needle. That will release the air. Afterwards you can dab a bit of triple antibiotic ointment to the prick spot. Sometimes it may have to be repeated.

 

[sunflowa20]

She's too young for coccidiosis. Continue with the coconut oil daily, if she's constipated it will help. Some chicks just don't thrive. Since she's smaller and weaker than the others, that may be the case. Sometimes no matter what you do, they just don't make it. It could be an incubation issue, things not developed correctly inside where you can't see. Make sure she's got the correct temperature for her age and can get in and out of the heat source (heat lamp or brooder plate) so she can regulate her temperature. Too cold and too warm can also contribute to pasty butt. Make sure she's drinking well as well as eating.
She looks like she has a ruptured air sac also. That happens sometimes if they get banged around by hatchmates, run into things, etc. Those will sometimes resolve on their own. If it continues to get larger, or she seems to be having trouble breathing, you can release the air. If it's stable and she's doing ok, then I would watch and wait on that, see if it resolves on it's own. To release the air, wipe the area with some antiseptic, use a sterilized sewing needle, pinch up the skin where the air is and prick just the skin with the needle. That will release the air. Afterwards you can dab a bit of triple antibiotic ointment to the prick spot. Sometimes it may have to be repeated.

Thank you! The air sac is slightly larger today but she seems to be breathing ok. I am still doing coconut oil and gave her another bum soak today but she is still not passing any solid poop. She is really straining and pushing but just the usual white liquid comes out.

She is still eating and drinking on her own but not as much as I would like. She is either with me against my body for heat or in her brooder. It’s using a lamp but the box is big so she and her siblings can move out of the heat if they get too hot. But she is not very active and just sits in the corner by the lamp.

Any other suggestions? I am thinking that after 3 days of no pooping it’s either a blockage that won’t shift or as you say, something congenital.

 

[coach723]

It's very hard to know when they are so small. You can try giving her water manually also. I hold them in my hand with the beak resting in the crease of my finger, drip water down the crease, when it hits the beak they will swallow. It's slow, but it helps get fluid in them. Use plain water or water with electrolites, or very watered down egg yolk.

 

[sunflowa20]

It's very hard to know when they are so small. You can try giving her water manually also. I hold them in my hand with the beak resting in the crease of my finger, drip water down the crease, when it hits the beak they will swallow. It's slow, but it helps get fluid in them. Use plain water or water with electrolites, or very watered down egg yolk.

Thanks. Her crop feels very full. She is drinking better today but seems to struggle swallowing. As if she can’t fit more in. Luckily I did not need to encourage her, she drank on her own.

So far she just wants to sleep. No exploring of her environment. And her butt is always dirty with the white liquid being quite pasty lately.

 

[coach723]

Once you clean off the vent, apply a layer of vaseline. That will help keep the droppings from sticking, drying and causing irritation. Every time you have to clean her up, reapply the vaseline. With the crop backing up as well as difficulty passing droppings, trying to get them to loosen and move is the best you can do. If you can get a tsp of coconut oil in each time, try to do that.

 

[sunflowa20]

Once you clean off the vent, apply a layer of vaseline. That will help keep the droppings from sticking, drying and causing irritation. Every time you have to clean her up, reapply the vaseline. With the crop backing up as well as difficulty passing droppings, trying to get them to loosen and move is the best you can do. If you can get a tsp of coconut oil in each time, try to do that.

Wow a tsp each time that’s more than I was giving for sure. Ok here it comes! Thank you coach

 

[sunflowa20]

Posting an update here. The chick was getting weaker yesterday and even though I had here next to or with me all the time, there was no improvement. She was even peeing less than she had before. Her crop was full up, so much so that she was struggling to swallow when she drank water. She spent all of yesterday just sleeping and only moving when I made her.

I made the decision last night to put her out of her suffering. There was zero sign of improvement and only deterioration. I believe she had a congenital issue with her digestive system.

I am so very sad that I could not help her thrive in the end, but I do want to thank Coach for the advice as well as the many other threads here I read up on. I would not have gotten so far with her without this community. Thank you all so very much.