Hatchling abandoned and attacked, has strange yellow blob

[User395221]

My hen has hatched some chicks, I just went down to check on them and she'd left the next (4 still unhatched). One chick was lying there, he'd been pecked on the head. Another was lying out in the run and she was down in the run with the other 2 under her. I returned her and the 3 to the nest (I can't know whether it was her who did it or one of the others.

Anyway, the little abandoned one is not good, he's all floppy and he has a weird yellow bulge down below. It looks like it's got a feather or some bedding stuck on it?

Is there anything I can do for him? I tried to get him to drink, but he didn't.

 

[SeaPolka]

My hen has hatched some chicks, I just went down to check on them and she'd left the next (4 still unhatched). One chick was lying there, he'd been pecked on the head. Another was lying out in the run and she was down in the run with the other 2 under her. I returned her and the 3 to the nest (I can't know whether it was her who did it or one of the others.

Anyway, the little abandoned one is not good, he's all floppy and he has a weird yellow bulge down below. It looks like it's got a feather or some bedding stuck on it?

Is there anything I can do for him? I tried to get him to drink, but he didn't. View attachment 1149421

I'm pretty sure that's his yolk sack, there should be some threads on here about it. It's not fully absorbed so I don't think you should touch it but follow advice on the threads, I'll try and find one for you. He probably won't drink yet as he hasn't found his feet but his yolk sack has everything he needs for three days. Put the other eggs in an incubator and put the chicks under a heat lamp.

 

[SeaPolka]

I can't find one to send you too unless your chick has mushy chick disease. Otherwise just leave him in peace to suck it up under a heat lamp. Let us know what happens! Good luck

 

[User395221]

I'm pretty sure that's his yolk sack, there should be some threads on here about it. It's not fully absorbed so I don't think you should touch it but follow advice on the threads, I'll try and find one for you. He probably won't drink yet as he hasn't found his feet but his yolk sack has everything he needs for three days. Put the other eggs in an incubator and put the chicks under a heat lamp.

Thanks, I think he was on his feet earlier on, before he was attacked and left. I saw them all running about early this morning, when Paulina got off them momentarily.

I went up the shop and bought a heat lamp and I've put him and the other three in there. I found another chick murdered in the run, so I didn't feel that they were safe. One of the others has a wound above her eye, and one has a bit of a messed-up tummy - remaining yolk sack? Pecked? I'm not sure, but that one's a bit floppy and not in as good shape as the other 2, who seem ok. I can't know whether it was Paulina who hurt them, or someone else (I suspect it was someone else, but she obviously can't protect them, the one out in the run would have died, been pecked at too if I hadn't gone out when I did.

The little one isn't doing great, I don't think he'll make it. At least he doesn't seem to be in any particular distress.

Paulina is sitting on the remaining eggs, I'll just keep an eye on it to see if any more hatch and take them away. I don't have an incubator to move them to.

This is all very stressful, compared to last time.

 

[User395221]

I've got him under the heat lamp, but he's in a little container by himself (I read to keep him apart so the others don't pick on him). I'm worried he might get too hot or too dehydrated, just lying there. Is it all right to just leave him there overnight, or should I keep checking on him and offering water? (the bulge is broken, if it's the yolk sac, I think it's broken.)

The others are also under the lamp, I've got food and water up the other end for them. Is there anything else I need to do for them?

 

[biophiliac]

Sorry about your chickie @potato chip . @WVduckchick ?

 

[User395221]

Sorry about your chickie @potato chip . @WVduckchick ?

Thanks, biophiliac. He's still breathing, he looks a bit more comfortable under the lamp, he got very cold when I had to go out to fetch it, even though I'd wrapped him up. I really don't know whether he can recover from what's wrong with him and his injuries. I hope so, but I'm expecting the worst

 

[biophiliac]

Hard to know, but whatever the out come. Sometimes all you can do is make sure they don't suffer.

 

[WVduckchick]

So sorry this has been a rough hatch.

Be careful with having one in a container under a lamp. If it gets too warm and can't get out, that would be bad. Just make sure the container has a cooler area it can crawl to, if necessary.

You can dab a little Neosporin on the "blob" area. is it attached fully, or just sorta by a thread? Did it bleed? If it busted and was yolk, then his chances aren't good, but hoping for the best!

As far as peck marks on the head, I've had them recover fully from those. Sometimes the weaker ones get pecked. Not uncommon, sadly.

good luck! Keep is posted please.

 

[User395221]

So sorry this has been a rough hatch.

Thanks, and thanks for replying.

Be careful with having one in a container under a lamp. If it gets too warm and can't get out, that would be bad. Just make sure the container has a cooler area it can crawl to, if necessary.

Too late, I'm afraid, he's been there all night. I just had to try to think what would be worse and thought getting "investigated" by the others might be worse.... No doubt I've done the wrong thing (it's not a very hot/high powered light (it's not really cold here at all), the others have stuck right underneath it and they are all cuddled together, so hopefully he hasn't been "cooked")

You can dab a little Neosporin on the "blob" area. is it attached fully, or just sorta by a thread? Did it bleed? If it busted and was yolk, then his chances aren't good, but hoping for the best!

We don't have Neosporin over here. The "blob" is just yucky, I don't know whether it's yolk or guts or what... It hasn't really bled, but it's oozed "something" and it's sort of collapsed, just like "stuff' hanging off. If it's broken yolk, what happens? He can't absorb the necessary "stuff" and dies from that, or it lets infection in, or....? I really don't think he'll survive, I just don't know that he's definitely not going to "come good" to make a decision to euthanize him, and I don't know how to euthanize him, anyway

As far as peck marks on the head, I've had them recover fully from those.

I'm not really worried about that very much, like any wound if it doesn't get infected, hopefully it'll just heal up. It's the "guts" issue that is freaking me out. Also, that he seemed all right beforehand, I can't be sure he just wasn't really badly hurt by being attacked.

I think the others are ok (2/3 anyway), so at least everyone didn't get massacred.

Now I have to try to figure out how to look after them myself and how to eventually get them back out there with the other chooks without getting murdered....

As for Paulina, I don't think she'll get broken from being clucky which was the whole point of letting her have some eggs.

sigh.

EDIT: I've just had a look at him. To me, it looks like intestines, it's loopy, like bowels. I don't think he can "come good" from that.... What do I do to let him go?