Chick's Butt sounds like dawn dish soap

[Hxb5101]

Hello everyone. I have a 2 week old lavender amerucana chick that we just noticed has these constant bubbling sounds coming from her butt. It sounds honestly like someone filled a sink with dawn dish soap and you wait and hear the popping. It is independent of when she is breathing, though breathing appears to push a bit more bubbles out than the ambient popping. Its just constantly popping. She does not have any lethargy, shes eating and drinking normally and the other chicks do not have this mysterious popping. She is still flying around, pecking other chicks, and climbing things. Her breathing looks normal, there's no straining or bobbing going on. We are really at a loss here as to what the bubbling is. We did give her crushed oat yesterday for the first time.

We have not tried anything. All 4 chicks are in a brooder with pine shaving, chick starter, chick grit, and electrolytes/vitamins in their water. The temperature under their brooder plate is 90.

She is our 3yos favorite chick. We are willing to do anything to help this chick.

 

[Hxb5101]

Her vent was pasty and I have been cleaning it. But it otherwise looks ok to me?

 

[Eggcessive]

Maybe she is passing air. I would stop giving oatmeal. She should only be given chick starter at her age. Does she have any puffy spot of air under her skin any where on her body?

 

[Hxb5101]

No we do not see any puffy spots under her.

 

[Eggcessive]

If she is acting normally otherwise, I would not worry too much. It is good to have chick grit available when they are getting foods other than chick starter, or out on grass. But when they are so young, chick starter is the best food for them. Oatmeal is not a good thing to feed on it’s own. Chick starter is perfectly balanced. Hopefully she is passing some gas.

 

[NatJ]

I have a 2 week old lavender amerucana chick...

All 4 chicks are in a brooder with pine shaving, chick starter, chick grit, and electrolytes/vitamins in their water. The temperature under their brooder plate is 90.

I would offer plain water.

Chick starter typically has all the vitamins and electrolytes they need. Too much can cause problems.

It is generally safe to offer two containers of water, with one plain and the other with electrolytes/vitamins. That lets the chicks choose, and they usually make reasonable choices in cases like this. Or you can skip the extras and only provide plain water.

You can also check the label on the vitamins & electrolytes. Most of them say to only use it for a short time (a few days at most), not all the time for weeks on end.

I have no idea whether this will change anything about your chick's butt. I am suggesting it as a general health point for chickens of all ages.

 

[Eggcessive]

I agree with Nat J that electrolytes and vitamins are not necessary. I use them for a day with newly arrived chicks or some Gro-gel, but electrolytes for more than a day or two can cause diarrhea.