HELP-now her vent is bright red!! one chick small and pasting

[l'abeille]

I just got chicks yesterday (so excited--YAY!!!) they are so great. They were hatched Mon. Several were pasty-butted when they arrived. This morning I cleaned them all off well. Most of them have stayed clean since.

There is one chick, a golden sex link, that keeps getting new droppings stuck to her butt (which I keep wiping off). She also seems less active than the others and is starting to seem smaller and behind in the development of wing feathers. I do see her eating and drinking. She often closes her eyes standing up and she gets jostled by the others sometimes interfering with her eating. There is one other golden sex link that seems intermediate small and slightly less perky. The rest of the batch (18 chicks, 3 breeds) are doing great.

All the basics are taken care of--they are warm, clean, dry, ventilated, plenty of feeders/water/space according to textbook recommendations.

Any advice?

 

[catdaddy66]

Stress from hatching and travel may be the problem. You might try some sugar in water (not sure of the ratio). Also may want to try poly-vi-sol without iron for a supplement in the water. Another choice would be a capful of Apple Cider Vinegar (unfiltered) for the water as well... That will be a lot of water!

Try one thing a couple of days then try the next and the third as needed. ACV is especially good for GI issues, I have read.

Good Luck!!

 

[tammyd57]

I've read that for a chick who continually gets pasty butt that there are a couple things you can do to help prevent it from recurring. Trim very carefully a little bit of the fluff immediately around the vent to give the poo less feathers to stick to. Then put a drop of baby oil on the skin to make it easier to clean off what does stick.
Hope this helps!

 

[l'abeille]

Thank you--I will try those things. I cleaned her butt again today, afterwhich she pooped kind of foamy droppings. I got her to at some hard-bioled egg yolk. I gave her a "private access" feeding, but when I had to go out for the day I sprinkled it on a paper plate and put it in the brooder with all the chicks. I was encouraged to see that, although she kept getting jostled off the plate, she kept worming her way back in and eating it. She seems a bit stronger today than yesterday, but I'm stil worried.

 

[l'abeille]

I just went to clean her bum and put on the vaseline to help keep her clean. Now her little vent is bright red like a cherry and seems swollen. I did put the vaseline on and that has hidden the red part, plus I have a red brooder bulb, so for now she hopefully won't get pecked. She is still seeming stronger than before, eating and drinking, but has sleepy looking eyes and the size difference between her and her hatchmantes is growing. What could be wrong with her? Should I put her in my bra?

 

[l'abeille]

Anybody?

 

[Tikka]

Did you try trimming away the feathers? Could the irritation be a reaction to anything you have applied, or maybe too much handling? I'm sorry I don't have any solid answers. It sounds worrying for sure.

 

[teach1rusl]

It sounds like you're doing things right. The one or two who keep getting pasty butt, I would clip the fuzz back there pretty short (get someone to assist you). Keep a close eye on the one with the red butt, to make sure that she's not getting pecked back there. Sometimes some babies just aren't healthy from the get-go. You see it in litters of puppies and kittens, along with other animals. So keep doing what you're doing, be observent, and cross your fingers. Hope your little chick improves...

 

[l'abeille]

Gosh, I hope it's not fom too much handling! But it wasn't red last time I cleaned her. The area is staying cleaner now, thanks to those sugestions. I gave her another solo feast on egg yolk and she gobbled. Hopefully she will keep hanging in there. Thanks.

 

[Chicken Fruit]

run her bum under cool water and CAREFULLY pluck the fuzzy feathers away from her vent, all around. It sounds awful, but it makes it heal SO much faster, especially with a little blu-coat and neosporin on it.