newbie and stressed :/

[oakley]

my 12hr old baby chick seems to have a "poo plug" I have tried and tried to wipe and run warm water but it wont budge!! Ive had to wipe the other chicks butt but there butts looked nothing like this plug thing!! its bellys starting to swell and im a mess as I don't know how to help him any suggestions please would be great!!

 

[hosspak]

my 12hr old baby chick seems to have a "poo plug" I have tried and tried to wipe and run warm water but it wont budge!! Ive had to wipe the other chicks butt but there butts looked nothing like this plug thing!! its bellys starting to swell and im a mess as I don't know how to help him any suggestions please would be great!!

read up on how to vent sex check a chick, if done correctly poop is usually excreted and will not harm the chick..

 

[Pathfinders]

Sometimes warm water isn't enough, and you have to oh so gently pull the dried poop off the vent. Do it slowly and carefully and it should be ok. Sometimes a bit of the fluff around the vent will be pulled away too, and that's ok, it will prevent feces from being caught there later.

Good luck with it!

 

[oakley]

thankyou for your replies!! I really didn't feel comfortable sqweezing the little one :/ I was too scared of hurting him so I just jeot making it as soft as I could with warm water and after a looong time manage to slowly pull it out with not much fuss from the chick!! he has since pooed yay!! thanks again!!

 

[Pathfinders]

Great news. Now, keep an eye on him, it might get clogged up again, check at least once a day.

 

[oakley]

yeah I check all the other chicks all the time!! sheesh!! this little guy was having me in a panick haha this is our first time with chicks and the other 6 were all fine so to have one a little unwell was heartbreaking. thanks again for your help!! really appreciated!! xx

 

[Pathfinders]

It should start to go away soon. Be sure the chicks are kept warm and in an area free from drafts, sometimes being chilled causes pasted vent like you're seeing.

You can see this page on my website for more info on Chick Care: http://pathfindersfarm.com/Chickcare.html

Don't hesitate to continue to post here if you have more questions, happy to help!