Possible prolapsed vent?? Coccidiosis? Please help

[Rosemarys Chickens]

Hi everyone, I recently received chicks from Cackle on Friday. I know shipping causes great stress on the chicks so there has been some issues that have me worried about them every second of the day. Anways, we have had a bad case of pasty butt with this bunch and I have been cleaning it with warm water and a wash rag everyday. I’ve also been supplementing apple cider vinegar in the water with some probiotics. Today, I’ve also started mixing their food with water.

When cleaning a chick with an especially bad case of pasty today (that appeared to completely cover up the vent), I noticed that there was a protruding red dot underneath. After some research, I believe it may be a prolapsed vent. I have attached a pic, so please let me know what you all think or if you need a better pic. After this, the chick looked to have a normal poop. But later on, I saw a frothy yellow poop that had specks of blood in it. Is this normal for prolapsed vent or could this be coccodiosis? The chicks were not vaccinated for coccodiosis, and I decided to start them on medicated feed to be on the safe side today. I also found a random poop that had a tiny speck of blood in it in the brooder. I’m not sure who it came from, but it made me panic.

Do you think it is worth treating them with Corid? None of them act sick, and they are decently lively and all the rest of the poop looks normal. Also hoping for tips on the chick with possible prolapsed vent.

Sorry for the long post! My first flock from last year didn’t have these issues, so I feel really thrown for a loop haha. Thank you!

 

[coach723]

If you just got them this Friday then they are likely too young to have coccidiosis yet.
Pasty butt is pretty common in shipped chicks, they've been stressed and in an environment with fluctuating temperatures. I had a lot of pasty butt in my shipped chicks this year, by the end of the first week or so it started to taper off, thankfully. Make sure your heat, heat lamp or brooder plate, is giving them the correct temps for their age, and make sure they have plenty of room to move in and out of the heat, they also need to be able to cool themselves if they get too warm. That vent tissue is very delicate, and if the poo has dried it can be like concrete. When they are this little I just use a cup of warm water, a q-tip, and a paper towel or soft small towel. Use the q-tip to moisten the poo, and don't rush it, sometimes it might take a while of gentle moistening and manipulation to get it loose so you can remove it. You don't want to pull too much if it's stuck, just keep moistening and working till it will come off easily. Then dry it off gently and back under the heat. For the one that looks red, you can apply some plain neosporin, or vaseline, that will sooth it if it's injured. You can apply that with a q-tip also. If you think it's constipated you can give it some coconut oil to help get things moving. Spread the coconut oil on some wax paper or parchement paper and freeze it, break it into tiny pieces and feed it to the chick.

 

[Rosemarys Chickens]

If you just got them this Friday then they are likely too young to have coccidiosis yet.
Pasty butt is pretty common in shipped chicks, they've been stressed and in an environment with fluctuating temperatures. I had a lot of pasty butt in my shipped chicks this year, by the end of the first week or so it started to taper off, thankfully. Make sure your heat, heat lamp or brooder plate, is giving them the correct temps for their age, and make sure they have plenty of room to move in and out of the heat, they also need to be able to cool themselves if they get too warm. That vent tissue is very delicate, and if the poo has dried it can be like concrete. When they are this little I just use a cup of warm water, a q-tip, and a paper towel or soft small towel. Use the q-tip to moisten the poo, and don't rush it, sometimes it might take a while of gentle moistening and manipulation to get it loose so you can remove it. You don't want to pull too much if it's stuck, just keep moistening and working till it will come off easily. Then dry it off gently and back under the heat. For the one that looks red, you can apply some plain neosporin, or vaseline, that will sooth it if it's injured. You can apply that with a q-tip also. If you think it's constipated you can give it some coconut oil to help get things moving. Spread the coconut oil on some wax paper or parchement paper and freeze it, break it into tiny pieces and feed it to the chick.

Thank you for your reply and I will defintely follow all your tips! I was also thinking it was too early for coccidiosis after reading that it typically occurs after they’re weeks old. But it encouraged me to get some Corid just to have on hand at least.

I always try to be gentle when removing the poop with warm water and a wet cloth and usually don’t have issues, but this one was different for some reason. Do you think I would also need to try and push it back in if it is a prolapse? Or just do ointment? I’ve tried to isolate the chick in a dog crate inside the brooder after noticing a chick pecked at her vent area. But it doesn’t like being away from the other chicks and starts chirping a lot which I’m afraid is making the issue worse.

 

[coach723]

If it's prolapsed, then yes, try to gently put it back in, and keep it moist with the ointment or vaseline, you don't want it to dry out. Try holding it in for a few minutes each time, sometimes it can take a while before it will stay. Pecking could be the reason for seeing blood. Isolating until you can get it resolved is probably necessary, since you've seen at least one pecking at it. Sometimes you can use some wire/hardware cloth in the brooder to make a small separate area where they can still all see each other, making sure that both sides can adequately get in and out of the heat source. If the chick is very distressed you can try giving it a small stuffed animal toy (nothing that can be picked off and swallowed) or a small mirror so it can see "another chick", sometimes those will help. If it continues to happen, add the coconut oil to relieve possible constipation which might be causing straining.

 

[Rosemarys Chickens]

If it's prolapsed, then yes, try to gently put it back in, and keep it moist with the ointment or vaseline, you don't want it to dry out. Try holding it in for a few minutes each time, sometimes it can take a while before it will stay. Pecking could be the reason for seeing blood. Isolating until you can get it resolved is probably necessary, since you've seen at least one pecking at it. Sometimes you can use some wire/hardware cloth in the brooder to make a small separate area where they can still all see each other, making sure that both sides can adequately get in and out of the heat source. If the chick is very distressed you can try giving it a small stuffed animal toy (nothing that can be picked off and swallowed) or a small mirror so it can see "another chick", sometimes those will help. If it continues to happen, add the coconut oil to relieve possible constipation which might be causing straining.

Ok, I’ll give it a shot, hopefully it stays in! Thank you so much!!

 

[Rosemarys Chickens]

Ok, I’ll give it a shot, hopefully it stays in! Thank you so much!!

If it's prolapsed, then yes, try to gently put it back in, and keep it moist with the ointment or vaseline, you don't want it to dry out. Try holding it in for a few minutes each time, sometimes it can take a while before it will stay. Pecking could be the reason for seeing blood. Isolating until you can get it resolved is probably necessary, since you've seen at least one pecking at it. Sometimes you can use some wire/hardware cloth in the brooder to make a small separate area where they can still all see each other, making sure that both sides can adequately get in and out of the heat source. If the chick is very distressed you can try giving it a small stuffed animal toy (nothing that can be picked off and swallowed) or a small mirror so it can see "another chick", sometimes those will help. If it continues to happen, add the coconut oil to relieve possible constipation which might be causing straining.

So just a little update… The vent will not stay in, so I just put some ointment on it and called it a day. The chick also refuses to be put in the cage, even though it has clear view of the other chicks and it has a stuffed animal. It’s just chirps non stop and tries to push its way out of the cage. I had to take it out because I thought it was going to hurt itself or give itself a heart attack. Maybe I could make a little sling around it so they can’t peck at it. But I’ve also had no luck with those staying on either.

 

[coach723]

I've never tried to sling a little one like this, have only done that with adult hens, so not sure how well it would stay on. It can be a challenge even on the big ones. Maybe it's just swollen and the ointment overnight will help it go down some. If you are using a brooder plate rather than a light then overnight in the dark they should all just settle down and sleep. so much lower risk of damage in the dark. See how it looks in the morning.

 

[Rosemarys Chickens]

I've never tried to sling a little one like this, have only done that with adult hens, so not sure how well it would stay on. It can be a challenge even on the big ones. Maybe it's just swollen and the ointment overnight will help it go down some. If you are using a brooder plate rather than a light then overnight in the dark they should all just settle down and sleep. so much lower risk of damage in the dark. See how it looks in the morning.

So I have a good update! It appears that the swelling has went down on the vent and if it was a prolapse, I went back in on its own! Thank you for all your awesome tips, they certainly worked!

I’m am incredibly relieved but still worried because I notice that she is still smaller than the other buff silkie baby. I’ve also noticed that I don’t see her drink water. I try to remedy this by dipping her beak every so often and putting water in the food. But I’m worried she’ll never figure it out on her own.

I also haven’t seen her poop for a while. Tonight, I was able to get her to eat some frozen coconut oil chips, so I’m hopeful about that. But, I’ve noticed that she has a very prominent scab on her umbilical cord area. There is also some poop that has hardened in that area. So, I am very hesistant to even try and get the poop off in fear that I may pull on that scab. She is also the only one that has that big of a scab in that area. Im starting to think that she will just be a failure to thrive situation and that she is just underdeveloped. It just crushes me to lose a chick or for them to have to suffer in any way.

 

[coach723]

I'm glad the prolapse resolved. If the umbilicus is scabbed over, then it's probably ok to leave it alone, you can dab a bit of plain neosporin or plain triple antibiotic ointment on it with a q tip if needed. I lost one that failed to thrive in my shipped chicks 4 weeks ago, despite all efforts to save it. Sometimes there isn't anything you can do. I always try. It's hard to know when they are so small, sometimes things inside just don't develop quite right. They don't absorb nutrients, they don't grow normally, some have difficulty getting around. I try to make sure they get plenty of chances to eat and drink, I will drip water on the beak to get them to drink if necessary. I also try to give them some B vitamins, a super b complex, you only have to give them a little of it, if it's a tablet then 1/4 or so, daily. It doesn't mix well in water but I will do it that way if the chick isn't eating. Otherwise you can grind it up and mix it in a tiny bit of moistened feed, if it will eat. If the bits are small enough you can put in the beak, but when they are so tiny, that is really difficult without hurting them. Sometimes the vitamins help. Sugar water or electrolites or raw yolk mixed in water sometimes helps give them some energy too.

 

[Rosemarys Chickens]

I'm glad the prolapse resolved. If the umbilicus is scabbed over, then it's probably ok to leave it alone, you can dab a bit of plain neosporin or plain triple antibiotic ointment on it with a q tip if needed. I lost one that failed to thrive in my shipped chicks 4 weeks ago, despite all efforts to save it. Sometimes there isn't anything you can do. I always try. It's hard to know when they are so small, sometimes things inside just don't develop quite right. They don't absorb nutrients, they don't grow normally, some have difficulty getting around. I try to make sure they get plenty of chances to eat and drink, I will drip water on the beak to get them to drink if necessary. I also try to give them some B vitamins, a super b complex, you only have to give them a little of it, if it's a tablet then 1/4 or so, daily. It doesn't mix well in water but I will do it that way if the chick isn't eating. Otherwise you can grind it up and mix it in a tiny bit of moistened feed, if it will eat. If the bits are small enough you can put in the beak, but when they are so tiny, that is really difficult without hurting them. Sometimes the vitamins help. Sugar water or electrolites or raw yolk mixed in water sometimes helps give them some energy too.

The chick is actually doing quite a bit better! I was able to get the poop off without messing with the scab. It looks like the scab has since fallen off on its own as well. It has been regularly eating now and I have been seeing it drink now, which I didn’t see before now. I gave it a mix of nutridrench yesterday and this seemed to really perk it up. She still acts a bit lethargic, but always perks up when she’s eating. Thanks for the tip about the B vitamin, I’ll get that to start adding to her water. Also continuing her coconut oil as I think this is really helping her poop. I’ll have to try the egg yolk for her! Last year with my first chicks I had one that was a lower weight than the rest so I hand fed with some ground up eggs and I noticed that really helped her catch up to the others. The chicks I got last year didn’t really have any of these isssues, they had pasty butt once and it cleared up after that, so I’m really learning a lot with this batch of chicks haha.

Thanks again!!