Help! Did I hurt my chick?

[LaurasLorps]

I was doing a quick look-over of my 3-day-old australorp chicks when I noticed one had what looked like a dried clump of poop a little bit below her vent (it was just on the underside of the chick). I decided to try and get it off, because it was a fairly big clump, I soaked the spot in warm water for a minute or so and then used a damp towel to try and work it off. It was really stuck on there but was getting a little looser. After a few minutes of trying to work it off, I started to wonder if maybe it wasn't poop. I picked up another of my chicks (same age and breed) and noticed she had a brown clump, albeit much smaller, in roughly the same spot.
So now I am terrified I tried to remove something that was supposed to be there on my chick. The clump is still on there, but it is pretty loose now and I am worried other chicks will peck at it. Plus, I had to leave to work shortly after this fiasco, so now I am sitting in my office worrying like crazy that I have injured my sweet chick or that I will go home at lunch and find her pecked like crazy.

Does anyone have any ideas or help? Is the clump poop or something important? Do I need to do anything to try and heal the spot I working on?

 

[Nicole01]

It's most likely poop and you did the right thing. I had two chicks with pasty butt. After I washed and blow dried, I cut their feathers off on the back end, so more poop would nit get stuck.

 

[chicmom]

That's one thing you've really gotta watch for with new chicks....It's called "pasty butt", and if you don't get that off, it can clog up the vent and then they eventually die because they can't poop.

So you were handling that just perfectly. I can usually work that off with a warm, wet paper towel, but sometimes it is rock hard.....then you have to soak their bottoms a bit, but just make sure you dry them well so they don't get a chill.

 

[LaurasLorps]

When I first saw the clump, I thought it was pasty butt, but the clump was lower then the vent...and she pooped on my while I was trying to clean her up, so nothing seems to be blocked.

 

[chickensinwasillaAK]

Laura

I second or third the pasty Butt. It can still stick lower then the vent, then the next one will be highter and stick and so on. Congrats though, your bird pooped on you, you're now a hen mother.

 

[axion_lotus]

Quote:
I second this.

 

[LaurasLorps]

Okay, so I went home at lunch to check on the chicks and try to remove the clump. I did a lot more soaking and eventually got most it off...but the area started to bleed a little. Is it possible that the clump was an umbilical stump? She hatched on Sun. and I've had her since Mon. (got her from a local farmer) If it is a little umbilical stump, did i do serious damage by removing it? I put a little vaseline on the area that had bled. The poor little thing is definitely traumatized from being held away from her brothers/sisters for so long and for having so many things done to her underside. When I put her back in the brooder she just stood in the same spot and shook for about 15 minutes. I feel awful! What can I/should I be doing?

 

[LaurasLorps]

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Oh, and she is still pooping and the area right around her vent is clean and fluffy. You are right, chickensinwasillaAK, I have never been so happy to be pooped on!