How do I clean this 4 day old chick to see where the blood has come from?

[EliseP]

Help please! I hatched a chick 4 days ago and it has wry neck. I have been hand feeding it with Vitamin E and egg and some chick vitamins.
This morning I came to find my incubator (to keep it separate from the others) covered in blood and my little chick no better. It has an injury to its toe, which I think could have been caused by it getting caught in the lid of the incubator, but it also has a dried streak of blood on its tummy and there is so much there, I can't tell if it's hurt itself again there or if it's just from the toe. It looks like there is a patch of baldness there that wasn't there before.
I have attached a picture - sorry it's not better quality it's difficult to take!
I feel like this little thing is starting to loose the fight
Any advice would be really appreciated.

 

[Chicalina]

Can't see anything from that photo. can you take a better one?

The blood streak on its stomach could be just where the umbilicus dried off.

 

[EliseP]

The blood streak wasn't there yesterday, so I'm fairly confident that it's hurt itself.
Compared to the other chick that hatch about 10 hours before, this one is so underdeveloped. I'm just not sure at what point I give up

 

[PippinTheChicken]

Try this.
Mix all these ingredients together and feed to the chick using a medicine dropper. I had a struggling baby and this made her perk right up.

• 1 cup warm water
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 2 teaspoons salt

 

[NatJ]

It has an injury to its toe, which I think could have been caused by it getting caught in the lid of the incubator, but it also has a dried streak of blood on its tummy and there is so much there, I can't tell if it's hurt itself again there or if it's just from the toe. It looks like there is a patch of baldness there that wasn't there before.

Toe or toenail injuries can bleed a lot, so I think that blood probably is from the toe.

Soaking the blood off to get a good look is possible, but of course there is the danger of chilling the chick.

I don't see a good solution either way: not knowing can be a problem, but getting the chick wet and likely cold can also be a problem.

this one is so underdeveloped. I'm just not sure at what point I give up

I probably would just give up and cull the chick, but that's based on how much time I have available to provide special care for animals (not much), and my guess about whether it would continue to need special care (based on it being 4 days old and not improving yet, I'm guessing it would continue to need special care for some time, and possibly for its whole life, however long or short that might be.) So I would opt for a humane end, rather than dragging things out any longer. Beheading with a shart hatchet is how I dispatch chickens of any age, including small chicks if needed. (Other people have other methods that also work.)

I do not know what is right for you or for the chick. I am just sharing what I would do, in hopes that my thoughts can help you make a decision that works for you.

 

[EliseP]

I probably would just give up and cull the chick, but that's based on how much time I have available to provide special care for animals (not much), and my guess about whether it would continue to need special care (based on it being 4 days old and not improving yet, I'm guessing it would continue to need special care for some time, and possibly for its whole life, however long or short that might be.) So I would opt for a humane end, rather than dragging things out any longer. Beheading with a shart hatchet is how I dispatch chickens of any age, including small chicks if needed. (Other people have other methods that also work.)

@NatJ thank you. I am thinking the same thing. I have time this week as its holidays here in the UK, but will have to go back to work next week and won't have time to care for it. It just feels very final and I need to prepare myself first