Chicken having problems pooping...HELP!..*PICS*

[greeneggsnham]

One of the new chicks I bought today has a funny looking rear end. There is a pea size bump just above the vent and when it poops it chirps really loudly like it hurts. The poop is very solid and rock hard. What can I do to help it? Is there anything I can do to make the bump go away?

I forgot to mention that around its butt the feathers are missing.

EDIT: Here are the pics of the problem area. This morning I had to clean off his butt b/c it had crusted up during the night. I also put vasiline on the area and thats why it's shiny.

And here is a pic of the whole chick.

 

[ranchhand]

Do a search for "pasty butt", that might be the problem?

 

[Nostalchic]

How old is this chick? Is this "bump" a hard bit of poop? It is common for young chicks to develop what's commonly called "pasty butt" - their feces are dry and adhere to the fluff by the vent. It can block their vent so that they can't poop, and they can die from the obstruction. If this is what it looks like, get a small bowl of comfortably warm water, hold the chick in it so that the vent is submerged, and gently remove the poo - it will sort of soften and dissolve in the warm water so that you can remove it without pulling and potentially tearing their delicate skin. Keep them warm under a heat lamp and monitor frequently for recurrence. This is common in chicks in brooders for the first week. This may not be the problem at all, though

 

[greeneggsnham]

No I have delt with pasty butt in the past and know what it looks like. This is under the skin. Something on the inside is pushing out making it look this way. When I push on it, it isn't hard or anything but the chick seems to have so much trouble pooping. I'll post a pic in the morning.

 

[greeneggsnham]

As of this morning the chick is eating well and drinking. It is one of the most active chicks and walks around fine. The others don't seem to be pecking at the area at all.