Help... Listless chick not pooping

[Smileybans]

I’m panicking. This is a three day old silkie. He eats medicated starter grower and is in with 10 others. He had pasty butt yesterday and today. I cleaned him both times. But today I noticed he couldn’t poop at all and his chirp was weak. When he went to poop his vent just swelled up. When he stopped pushing it stopped swelling. It’s like there’s a blockage. How do I help him? The white is all he has been able to push out since I cleaned him off.

 

[Smileybans]

I unplugged his blockage but he’s still lethargic. I don’t think he’s eating or drinking much since all he seems to want to do is sleep. I have him separated now and haven’t seen any poop on his bedding. He’s the smallest so I didn’t want him getting trampled. I tried giving nutridrench by dipping my finger in some and putting it on his beak. He drank some. How much is enough and what else can I do? I tried mashed up food but maybe it wasn’t liquid enough. It was just in the puffed up state. Either way I only got him to eat a little.
He’s 11 days old now. I had his age wrong in my original post.

 

[coach723]

Try to get it to take some coconut oil. If you can get a tsp or so in that would be good. It may be constipated and that will help get things moving. Give some today, and repeat tomorrow and the next day if things don't seem improved. Try to give fluids every 20 minutes or so throughout the day to keep it hydrated. If things can get moving then hopefully it will start feeling better and start eating and drinking on it's own.
You can refrigerate the coconut oil and break into small pieces if it will take it that way. For very small chicks I hold them in my hand with the tip of the beak resting in the crease of my finger and let the liquid drip down the crease a drop at a time. When it gets to the beak they usually swallow. It's a little time consuming, but works best for me with the little ones. There may be more going on inside, it's very hard to tell with the little ones.

 

[Smileybans]

I gave him water and coconut oil until his crop was full. But now hes having troubles walking. I don’t think it’s splayed leg. But one leg pushes out and the other doesn’t. So instead of walking he just flops to one side. What can I do to help him? Sorry for the redness. I didn’t want to stress him out more by taking him out of the warm room.

 

[Smileybans]

Is his vent normal? I’m worried it might be prolapsed from all of his straining to poo.

 

[coach723]

You can use a chick chair to help it stay upright and hopefully give it time to find it's legs. Some examples in this thread:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/versions-of-chick-chairs-please.1166308/
If it's not digesting normally then it may not be absorbing nutrients well either. I'd continue the coconut oil to see if you can get things moving, and then supplement vitamins. Poultry cell is a good one, you can also use a human B complex vitamin, give it about 1/4 a tablet or capsule daily, mixed in some food. B deficiencies are the most common.
I can't really tell if it's prolapsed. I would keep the vent moist with some plain neosporin, plain triple antibiotic ointment, coconut oil, or vaseline.

 

[Smileybans]

I have actually been putting vitamin B onto his vent. It was the only oil I had handy at the time. I switched to the coconut oil today. I got him to drink some nutridrench today and he perked up. I have liquid vitamin B complex I can give to him. I also have the liquid capsules. What’s the difference between the nutridrench and the poultry cell? He did poop a little today so I’m hoping that’s a good sign. He’s only had water, nutridrench and oil to eat though. I’ll make sure to start him on the vitamin B tomorrow morning.

 

[coach723]

Poultry cell and nutridrench are both good, slightly different ingredients. If you are giving B complex then the nutridrench is fine. Too long on it can cause diahrea, so 2 or 3 days is usually all with that.

 

[Smileybans]

The vitamin b can cause diarrhea or the nutridrench?

 

[Smileybans]

He passed. I wish I knew why and what I could have done differently.