Help!!! Day old chick has had shell stuck to vent

[Emma 1982]

Please may someone give me their expertise. A chick hatched yesterday but it hadnt absorbed a pea size bit of yolk and also had shell stuck to its vent area, whether its actually over its vent i cant quite tell. I have bathed it this morning after reading other posts, and removed as much as possible but some still remains. I dried chick to a degree with the hair dryer and now put him back in the incubator, hes lively, but doesnt sound too happy, what do i do?!! Im stressed, he not happy, please help us both!!!

 

[dfalco]

Locate the vent. If the shell is truly covering the vent, I would think it's a more immediate concern. I don't know enough to advise, but post for certain whether the vent is covered, so other more knowledgeable folks can better help.

 

[Emma 1982]

Thank you so much for your reply. Unfortunately i can not get it back out to check as another egg has pipped in the last hour! Im sure there are small bits of poop in the brooder so im hoping thats a good sign. Hes still very lively and dried off after his bath! This is my first time hatching with my six year old Daughter, we lost one which was six days old on saturday and im starting to wonder what shavings i had used. I have called the pet store who are calling their supplier to see exactly what shavings it is.
May i ask what you use in your brooder?

 

[Wickedchicken6]

I use paper towel for the first week or so. My brooder is usually just a box so 1.5 sheets of paper towel fit perfectly. Some people use the non slip type shelf liner in the bottom of the brooder when first hatched. In the bigger brooder or in the chick section in the back of my coop I use shavings.

If there is still shell stuck to the vent area, be careful that it's not stuck to the navel area. If it is stuck to the navel, be very careful that you don't pull on the shell and have anything come out of the navel.

I do go into my incubator...but that's a personal choice. You want to make sure the chick can successfully go to the bathroom without obstruction.

 

[Emma 1982]

I have just removed all shavings and disinfected the brooder, ive laid a good quality kitchen paper all over the base too. I cleaned down my heat plate as i am using that rather than a lamp as this was recommended to me. I will keep watch for any poop and decide whether too intervene. I never realised how attached and stressed / worried i would get when hatching!!!
Thanks so much for taking the time to reply.

 

[Wickedchicken6]

If there's just a few tiny specks of shell...it should eventually slough off. The navel should be drying which is a good thing. Sometimes if something is stuck to the yolk sac and if that bit of membrane gets pulled, it can bring intestines with it. It's highly unlikely...but there is a slim chance. I'm not trying to scare you. I just want you to be aware. IF that happens...it can usually be fixed.

I think the majority of people love the heat plate. The paper towels make it easy to see them go once the chick is in that area.

 

[Emma 1982]

I have added a photo of said chicks rear end ( how degrading, poor thing!)
Me being a first time, has just possibly realised the vent is higher, under the tail feather? Feel free to laugh at my expense, im hoping one day i will look back and do the same

 

[Wickedchicken6]

I have added a photo of said chicks rear end ( how degrading, poor thing!)
Me being a first time, has just possibly realized the vent is higher, under the tail feather? Feel free to laugh at my expense, im hoping one day i will look back and do the same

It won't know there's a pic involved...it didn't see you.

Absolutely no laughing involved. That's how we learn, right?

The pieces of shell do look to be no obstruction to the vent...and that's a good thing! Just be careful another chick doesn't pick at the shell pieces and cause issues. If you pull them off, (I would take them off)...dampen the chick fuzz if it looks like it the shell isn't going to pull off easily.

 

[MageofMist]

I have added a photo of said chicks rear end ( how degrading, poor thing!)
Me being a first time, has just possibly realised the vent is higher, under the tail feather? Feel free to laugh at my expense, im hoping one day i will look back and do the same

It is attached to the navel, not the vent. And don't worry, I thought one of my chicks hatched with the yolk sac but it turned out the chick hatched so hard, it pulled the poop-sac out of the egg with it, cord and all. XD

It should dry up and drop off on their own, but you could try carefully washing them off too with a warm damp cloth or tissue.

 

[Emma 1982]

Bless you, thank you!
It was much bigger this morning where i managed to bathe and pull some off. He was getting so distressed and i worried he would get to cold as he had been out the incubator a good five to ten mins and was shivering when i put him back. There was also a large bit on his back that i successfuly removed. Hes currently helping his mate out of the other egg, hoping it will fully hatch before my Daughter finished school in three hours, what a lovely suprise it will be! Especially after loosing our much loved one two days ago ( we were so attached)
I will keep an eye when the other has hatched at try and remove more whilst hoping i dont do more hard than good.