Sick Chick

[Kalthia]

Hi everyone - I am worried for one of my chicks. They are just over a week old. I was out of the house for the day and came home to find one chick not as active as the others.

When I picked her up I found she had some pasty butt and worked to clean that off with warm compresses and a sitz bath. Dried her off with a light hair dryer.

While working on her noticed she was trembling an her vent?/butt? Was pushing out repeatedly like she is trying to poop.

I dried her off and now she is standing under the heater with her eyes closed. She appears to be sleeping - but the others now kinda sit and no longer stand - she is just standing.

Any ideas? Hoping to see her poop -
Would it hurt to give her some honey water?

What are the symptoms of colloisis? Any treatment?

 

[SmiYa0126]

@azygous @Wyorp Rock @Eggcessive help!

 

[azygous]

It's constipated from being pasted. Give it half a teaspoon of coconut oil broken into chick bite-size bits and chilled until solid to make it easy to push the pieces into the tiny beak. Get it all into the chick and wait for the big turd to be produced.

Be sure the chick is drinking water as this is one cause of pasting up. A brooder too warm is another common cause.

 

[Eggcessive]

Get the chick drinking by dipping it’s beak into water or electrolytes as often as you can. Have you checked for pasty butt before today? Some chicks may get it right away if they have been shipped or from feed stores. I usually take them to the sink, use fingers and warm soapy water and get if off as quickly as possible and without getting it too wet. Dry with tissues and get her back under the heat lamp. A small dab of vaseline or oil to the vent may help prevent it. When they get it once check each day for a repeat occurrence.

Using a thermometer under the warmest part of your brooder, tell us what the temperature is. Is the brooder in your house, or outside? Too much heat will make pasty butt more likely, but not drinking enough water or shipping stress can make it worse.

 

[Kalthia]

Thank you both - I gave her honey water for about an hour and ran to tractor supply (which take about an hour) to get some electrolytes. I gave her those but she is already doing better.

They are inside - temp outside at the water food is 72, under the warmer it is 78-80.

When I was getting temps she pooped in front of me. She is moving around and her eyes are open. She looks much better.

Amazing how quickly they can get sick and recover - I have been checking butts on all of them every day all week and she has never had a case.
We did let them in the garden yesterday where they ate some bugs - this one being the most aggressive and successful hunter in the bunch

I am just now getting a moment to check here -
I will keep the coconut oil idea in mind -
Hopefully she continues to do better. Poop is good though!

 

[Scotchbroomfarmer]

Hi everyone - I am worried for one of my chicks. They are just over a week old. I was out of the house for the day and came home to find one chick not as active as the others.

When I picked her up I found she had some pasty butt and worked to clean that off with warm compresses and a sitz bath. Dried her off with a light hair dryer.

While working on her noticed she was trembling an her vent?/butt? Was pushing out repeatedly like she is trying to poop.

I dried her off and now she is standing under the heater with her eyes closed. She appears to be sleeping - but the others now kinda sit and no longer stand - she is just standing.

Any ideas? Hoping to see her poop -
Would it hurt to give her some honey water?

What are the symptoms of colloisis? Any treatment?

Same thing just happened to one of my 2 week old chicks. For about a day, after cleaning pasty bottom, her vent was pulsing out with each breath. Only standing, not snuggling down to rest.
I separated her from others in another box with feed on the floor, some crumbled bits of scrambled egg which I never saw her eat. But I think what helped was every 20-30 minutes I dripped vitamin water with a bit of silver colloid onto her beak, or dipped her beak in water. After about 4 hours, I tried putting her back with the others and she went right to the food trough. Amazing recovery! She’s back to normal. Good luck!