Help!! Accidentally picked off umbilical scab! :(

[GrFChickens]

This is our first time raising baby chicks and I didn't know the vent was where the chicks stooled as well . . . so I think I accidentally picked off some umbilical scabs on the poor little gals. . There's a little blood but no active bleeding now. I put some hydrogen peroxide on one of them and plan to look at them again when they de-stress a little - they were very stressed after shipping. Any wise words? Thanks!

 

[mnabity]

Are you sure it was the umbillical cord? The umbillical cord is about 1/4 inch below the vent. Many chicks that have been shipped get pasty butt and when picked off it can bleed. Pasty butt is when stool gets stuck to the feathers around the vent and builds up then hardens blocking the vent preventing the chick from relieving itself. If this is the case, the best thing to do is remove the stool by either soaking the chicks butt in warm water and gently wiping it off or hold a warm washcloth on the chicks butt until you can easily wipe off the dried stool. Dry the chick off with a soft towel then carefully blow dry on low. Put either mineral, olive, or baby oil around the vent and on the butt feathers to help prevent stool from sticking. Always have clean water and adding 2-3 teaspoons of unfiltered apple cider vinegar with mother cultures per quart often helps cure and prevent pasty butt. Braggs apple cider vinegar can be found at most grocery stores. I apologize if it was the umbillical cord and I rambled on with unneeded info.

 

[GrFChickens]

mnabity, thanks for the reply! It was definitely the umbilical cord - I saw the vent contracting right under the tail feathers, and it looked nice and light pink. But thank you for the helpful information!

 

[mnabity]

I'm glad it was the umbilical cord, having to wipe chicks butts all day is no fun no matter how cute they are

. I hope your babies are doing well. Welcome to being a new chicken mommy, you're in for a lot of fun! BUT BE WARNED: you will suffer from chicken math. This is when you plan on having a flock of 5 and like in my case wind up with a flock of 30 and still want more because they're all so pretty and you need this breed and this color of egg and.....

A very big WELCOME TO BYC

! This place is full of wonderful people.

Miki

 

[GrFChickens]

Haha, made me laugh, Miki! What a wonderful adventure to have 30 chickens! I would totally get more right now if we had a bigger coop!

 

[Jensownzoo]

Go ahead and let it scab up again (instead of putting neosporin on it). Check it a couple of times daily for increasing redness, swelling, discharge. If you see any of this, the chicks will need oral, not topical, antibiotics to treat it as any infection will head inside the body from that spot very quickly.