Swollen vent with blood

[escripps]

I have a young chick about 4 weeks old. Today I noticed that its cloaca/vent is enlarged and bloody. It looks as if it has had diarrhea, its backside was wet. The chick is alert at time and sleepy at others. Is this the start of a prolapsed cloaca? Or vent gleet?

There are about 15 birds in the brooder. Could this be due to crowding? I was planning on moving them outside with a heater to allow for more space.

I currently have the bird separated from the others and will start giving probiotics to everybody as a precaution.

Is there any treatments? I have never experience this before. This was a chick that was given to me and is of unknown age, gender, or breed.


Thanks!!

 

[LaFleche]

This looks like constipation, you chick is not able to poop properly and the accumulated poop obstructs the vent.

You might want to wash the backside very carefully with warm water and let the vent area soak for a while, best done under running tab. After loosening the blockage the chick will poop a lot, so be prepared.

If the vent is not yet unblocked and cleared after the soaking, clean and dry her and apply some warm coconut oil or corn oil to the vent and poop , wait 10 minutes and try very carefully to pick little poop pieces from the vent until she can poop freely.

The other chicks seem to have picked at her vent and caused the bleeding. so keep her separate until the swelling is down and apply some Blue Kote to prevent further pecking.

How is the temperature in your brooder? This kind of constipation mostly occurs due to overheating.

 

[frostic]

I would watch the chicks, does she get pecked in the vent alot?
I would seperate her from the others. and give the others more room just in case they are over crowded.. I don't know what is going wrong with your little chickie but hope you find some answers.

 

[LaFleche]

To ease her passage feed her little pieces of coconut oil, they will melt with the body heat and prevent another constipation. Some drops of corn oil or sunflower oil serve as well.

 

[LaFleche]

Here is a thread treating the same issue: https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/help-diagnose-problem-and-find-cure.1386202/#post-22762843

 

[escripps]

There has definitley been some over heating! I have been trying to manage that becuase it is very hot in our area. I have to have the heat lamp on in the evening through late morning. I have the chick separated and will give probiotics. I do not have blu koat but I do have scarlex can this be used?

 

[LaFleche]

I do not have blu koat but I do have scarlex can this be used?

I would not use Scarlex on an 4 week old chick. But you might use some antibiotic ointment to keep the tissue soft.

 

[LaFleche]

How is you chick today, was it able to poop properly?

 

[escripps]

Yes!! I put coconut oil and ointment on the area and that helped a lot. I isolated it for awhile then put it with the younger chicks when it looked better and now the vent area looks normal!

I find it so interesting that this is one of the oldest chicks and it was getting picked on my the smaller chicks in that brooder.

 

[LaFleche]

I find it so interesting that this is one of the oldest chicks and it was getting picked on my the smaller chicks in that brooder.

They recognize the weakness and instinctively pick on sick ones trying to exclude them from the flock as they will attract the attention of predators.