Swollen vent and ?? Sticking out

[Eggcessive]

The swollen vent looks good, just a little pooched out, probably from constipation or pasty butt. Are you using a thermometer to watch the temperature in your brooder? What is it in the warmest spot. Since pasty butt is caused by shipping stress usually, make sure that your temperature is around 90 for the first week with a cooler spot to get to, and decrease it by 5 degrees each week by raising your lamp. Drinking plenty of water may ease her constipation.

 

[SBaltz]

The swollen vent looks good, just a little pooched out, probably from constipation or pasty butt. Are you using a thermometer to watch the temperature in your brooder? What is it in the warmest spot. Since pasty butt is caused by shipping stress usually, make sure that your temperature is around 90 for the first week with a cooler spot to get to, and decrease it by 5 degrees each week by raising your lamp. Drinking plenty of water may ease her constipation.

I was pleased and surprised to not see it sticking out of her vent when we took the photo, her belly button looks good, nothing swollen there. I have a heat lamp in one corner of the brooder and food/water in the opp. Our brooder is 2x4’ and my heat lamp is actually at 150 watt bulb. I had a 250 watt, but it kept seeming to be too hot no matter how I angled it. The 150 watt seems to work a lot better and the thermometer says 90-93.

She varies from being directly under it to the piles of bigger girls that sleep near the edge of the light.

Are you positive this string is coming from the vent or possibly the navel and could be umbilical cord being 2-3 days old?

we were’t sure, but it was definitely coming out of her vent. I am going to check her again this morning, more coconut oil and if she is still swollen another bath.

 

[SBaltz]

@CSAchook Has given you very good instruction/suggestions!

You mention a black thread like poopish thing - could it have been the umbilical cord? How's her navel look - is it healed over?

I would continue with keep her cleaned off like you are doing. Apply your coconut oil to the vent (monitor the vent and make sure the others are not picking at it - I see no picking at this time).
Wet mash is good to give. Mine like wet feed too.

Are you using a heat lamp where chicks eat 24/7? You can put the wet feed in during the day and change it regularly (chicks love to stand and poop in it ) I usually give just small amount on a lid like you did. Dry feed is always available free choice too. You could leave wet feed overnight, but it's going to be yucky by that time.

Her belly button looks good and the other girls have not pecked at her vent that I have seen. When she was straining last night, it looked like her vent protruded out, poop came out after a bit of pushing, and after she pooped, there was a tiny black dot on the tip of her vent that pulled back in as her vent reclosed up. Definitely looked better pooping last night, but she was still straining.

I am cleaning their brooder this morning, so will change up their food for wet mash for the time being. I might leave some dry food in there as well, but I definitely want to ensure that the little one gets lots of moisture.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

How is she doing now?

 

[Justin17]

Sometimes it can really take a very long time to soften pasty butt enough for it to be removed. One time it was like 45 minutes of holding a wet rag on her vent under a heating lamp before it resolved.

 

[SBaltz]

How is she doing now?

She pooped yesterday once that I was around for without crying, so that was a huge milestone, but then she cried later in the evening with a poop, so we gave her an epsom salt bath and coconut oil tidbits, but getting the coconut oil flakes into her was tougher and kept melting before she would eat them. I got oil i to her, but not as much as I had wanted. I had changed their food to wet mash and that seems to be helping her, although the liquid has made them all more snuggly under the heat lamp. I used lukewarm water, but they are all snuggly now, especially her. She keeps trying to get under someone else’s wings. I raised the heat lamp temp slightly and that did the trick for the seeming chills. Activity and energy have not changed, she is still quite active and energetic.

Any good tips for getting the coconut into her before it melts?

 

[Wyorp Rock]

That's a bit odd that wet feed would make them more snuggly under the heat, I've never encountered that.
Do you have a photo of your set-up?

Hmm...coconut oil melts at around 78F, so try chilling the oil flakes, then get them into her.
Is she drinking well?

 

[meg_warriner]

Are you positive this string is coming from the vent or possibly the navel and could be umbilical cord being 2-3 days old?

That is what I was thinking but she said that it was in her vent. Maybe it was a small piece that broke off and just happened to land there. I didn’t want to tell her to pull on it in case it was an attached umbilical cord. That could be detrimental.

 

[SBaltz]

It has been almost a month and she seems to be doing well. Whatever it was that was hanging from her vent disappeared, so we were pleased with that.

I fed her wet food for all her meals for 2 weeks and that seemed to do the trick. She has been great about drinking before eating and seems to be doing fine with just dry food now. She is a very snuggly bird, so maybe her snuggles are just her nature?
thanks for the help!