Chick with cord attached

[olsonschickens]

Baby chick hatched almost 24 hours ago. We watched it push it's way out of the egg all on it's own. However, it still has part of the umbilical cord & a bit of the yolk sac attached. Mommy has hatched several batches of babies & is one of my best mommies. I figured she would take care of it but when I checked on them a bit ago it was still there. It seems fairly wet still so it sticks to the bedding in the nest & makes it tough for the little one to get around. The baby seems like it's smaller than ones we've hatched before & looks like it's tiring out. Is it safe to clamp it and/or cut it? Do we keep waiting for mommy to deal with it? Help!

 

[JeanR]

Mommy is too busy to "deal with it". Yes,if dry enough you can snip off the cord, but not too short. The yolk should absorb into the abdomen naturally. When all dry, the cord will drop off. Do not pull it, need to help all heal naturally. Good luck.