When I came home from work today I noticed that one of my chicks vents is super swollen. I've never had baby chicks so I have no idea what the cause of this is and what I can do to help my poor little girl. I washed her bottom in some warm water and cleaned her up with a q-tip. There wasn't any hard poo blocking her up. She's just over two weeks old. I also noticed that she's not as big as the others. Please help!
Is she having trouble pooping? See if she is drinking plenty of water. Also wouldn't hurt to make some chick grit available free choice. It looks like the vent is swollen, you can soak the bum in a warm bath of epsom salts and apply a little hemorrhoid cream, honey (to help reduce swelling) or if you don't have those, coconut oil or vaseline. Offer wet chick starter and some poultry vitamins in her water. If she seems constipated - encourage her to drink - you can add a little molasses to her water - this has a laxative effect. Keep us posted.
