intestines protruding

[Justanotheruser]

First timer, trying to hatch 10 chickens, hoping to get 5ish hens as pets (pals).
Anyway, first chick outta the shell seems to have protruding intestines. The farmer who shared her eggs with me told me don't worry about it (over the phone) cause I don't think I described it too well and I think she thought it was just yolk.
Is there any hope for "Disco" or should I put her out of her missery? She seems so healthy and vibrant.
I have posted on 5 websites and have yet to get an answer.
Thanks for any help.
Kathy

 

[DuckLady]

Is it intestin from the vent? Or a protrusion from the belly? If from the vent, there is probably not much you can do. If it is at the belly, it is probably the yolksac, in which case, keep it clean and don't let others pick at it.

 

[silkiechicken]

I bet you are seeing an open navel. Give the chick time and usually it will all go in and will be ok. There is still hope.

 

[Justanotheruser]

Can you tell me where is the navel? That is what the farmer thought (I think). This looks like intestine, long, pink, kinda curled and it appears to be coming from the butt? I don't know. I thought I might have some time to learn things before I ran into life or death situations.
Kathy

 

[silkiechicken]

Give the chick some time. The naval is located about 1/4 of an inch below the vent.

 

[Justanotheruser]

I appreciate the quick responses.
I have separated "Disco" from the other chick, cause the other chick seemed to be pecking at that area.
I took some pictures, but couldn't download (I am not a computer wiz).
I intend to keep "Disco" safe from the other chick or chicks and feed her an meet all her needs and let nature take it's course.
My husband will kick my butt if my 'free' eggs end up costing us a huge vet bill (and top it off with the chick dying? oh, he'd be steamed).
I will check back, though, in case someone comes up with a brilliant plan for a miracle cure.
We call her disco, cause the last time I candled the eggs, she seemed to be having a heck of a party in there, really dancing it up!
So sad...
Kathy

 

[Enchanted Sunrise Farms]

Hi - i had this exact same thing happen with several of my chicks. i had a baby chick emerge and it was stuck to the egg. i think the membrane (like an inner membrane, not the outer one that they peck through when pipping) of the egg absorbs back into the body of the chick before it's born. This is not the yolk sack which (from my observation) has appeared to be on the abdomen. Anyhow, going on advice read about not interferring with the birthing process, this chick dragged his egg around, and when i got worried and finally opened the incubator to detach the egg, i saw what looked like intestine pulled out. i snipped where it appeared to be attached to the egg. But he continued to drag what was pulled out around the incubator and it pulled out more. i ran him to the vet, they didn't know what to do, and i paid $140 to have it euthanized. After that, any chick hatching with something protruding (as if it was attached to the egg membrane) i got my scissors and snipped, and they are all fine now.

i did have one chick that had a long entrail protruding after birth. i gave it some time to heal in a separate area. What had been protruding dried up in a day or so and i snipped that. She is doing fine now. The area where this intestine-looking material is coming from is south of the vent area, as you're looking at the back side of the chick.

i really do not like playing amateur surgeon, but unfortunately many vets, even those proclaiming to be chicken doctors, don't appear to have anymore knowledge than many of the good folk on this board. i am no expert by any means. i only know what i've experienced. From this meager experience, i would suggest keeping this chick isolated and making sure no more of what appears to be intestines gets pulled out. After a day or so it should shrivel up, and when it does you should be able to snip it, and from my experience with my chicks, it should be fine.

Good luck, and please keep us all apprised. You are the only other person i have seen posting with this exact same problem that i had and i am very interested in knowing how things turn out.

Colleen

 

[Justanotheruser]

I called tons of vets today, even the vet school, and nobody knew, but each time I would ask for a lead to someone who might.
One vet said call the Fitchburg Animal Hospital, and I told the receptionist "It looks like my chicky's intestines are on the outside."
A vet got on the phone and said (without waiting for any response) "Hello, your chicken has a prolapsed cloaka, how soon can you get it here?"
I told him that sounded expensive and he said no, it's not too bad.
I rushed Disco up there and the vet took Disco from me. He came back 2 minutes later and told me the bad news. It was too late, I waited too long and it looked like the other chicky had pecked at it. I told him to go ahead and euthenize him.
The vet came back a minute later and said that when he picked Disco up, Disco pooped in his hand, which meant that the parts were still working, so he wanted to give it a try. He pushed his intestines back in, cleaned Disco up and put in a stitch to hold things in place. He was to keep Disco until 6, and if Disco survived that long, there was a 90% chance of survival.
I left and came home and prayed for the phone not to ring. At 4, it did. The vet was sorry, but Disco had likely had a bloodclot that was flushed loose of the intestines when they were put back in the right place, and had died.
So, poor little Sparkles is now all alone.
I know I broke a rule, but I candled the other 8 eggs tonight. They should have hatched yesterday or today, but they didn't, so I just did it, I couldn't stand not knowing.
I think they have all died.
I saw no movement at all, not even a ripple.
They were all alive on day 18, with Disco and Funky being so lively in the shell, it appeard they might break out then and there.
A farmer near here said go ahead and break them open, maybe you can figure out why they died.
I can't do that. I don't have the stomach for this much death. I will just leave them incubate for a day or two more and then toss them out.
This is why I am not a farmer.
Thanks for all your thoughts.
Kathy

 

[Justanotheruser]

And I totally forgot to mention that this vet says he sees this all the time and it happens in 5-10% of hatches. He told me that if it happened again with any of the (probably will never hatch) other chickys, that I should rush it in and he would show me how to fix it myself to avoid the vet bill.
I just don't know how nobody knew what this was.

 

[rooster-red]

If nobody knew what it was, maybe its not all that common?