There is a tiny worm or maggot imbedded in 3 day old chick!!!

[Ivytwilight]

Our Dominiques ( 3 chicks) were hatched Monday, shipped out, and we received them in the mail Tuesday.( Yesterday) They are all eating and drinking fine, but I noticed they had a little bit of poo on their bottoms this morning (Wednesday) and I didn't want it to progress to anything worse so I took cotton balls and warm water and gently cleaned the little spots of poo away, just to be safe.
This was when I noticed what appeared to a very tiny spec of poo on one of my chicks back end, not her vent well below that. When I looked closer I saw what appeared to be a very, very tiny white worm or maggot sticking out of what I thought was a tiny crusty piece of poo. This worm or maggot looks to be half in half out of her body at this point! And there is a small area of swelling with the maggot or worm right in the middle. There appears to be a dark black coloring around the edge of the swelling, like a ring >< Is there anything I can do? Does anyone know if this is a maggot or a worm!!! Should she be moved away from the other two chicks?
I tried to take a picture, but she is so small and the area is so small I couldn't get a picture to come out These are my first chickens and I am a little freaked..I also noticed she was a bit more laid back than the other two, but now I'm guessing she is that way because she has a critter half in her! Any suggestions or advice would be greatly welcomed!

 

[XxPandaxX]

You should get some tweezers and pull it out. Then gently rub it with a little alcohol. Sounds like it was digging deeper inside the chick. You should REALLY REALLY REALLY notify the hatchery you got them from. Check all over all of the chicks and make sure there aren't any more. If you don't get it out soon, the chick will suffer great pain, as the worm might bite and leech onto her skin. Many suck blood, or transmit diseases. If it is just a maggot, then burn it.

 

[mnferalkitty]

I wonder if it was larvae from a bot fly, Did you remove the larvae? If not you should then wash the area get the poo off and apply some antibiotic ointment and make sure the other chicks son't pick on that chick, Make sure there are electrolytes in the water. Also contact the hatchery you got them from and tell them about the larvae. Google "bot fly larvae" and see if that is what it is.

 

[Anna_MN]

More than likely, it is bot fly larva. There was a kitten on the farm once that had on stuck right between it's shoulder blades. Put petroleum jelly on the wound to suffocate it- it uses the opening as its source of oxygen. Then when it comes up to the surface, quick grab it with a tweezer. Bot fly larva have backward facing barbs on them that attach to the skin when getting pulled out so they tear while you're pulling and it is extremely painful. Try to do this as quick as possible and monitor the chick and keep the wound clean. Hope this helps!

ETA: it probably got the larva embedded in it on its way here. The fly probably flew into the hole of the box

 

[mnferalkitty]

Don't use alcohol that isn't necessary and can cause alcohol poisoning, antibiotic cream is fine, save the worm under a pice of tape on a piece of paper or something in case the hatchery wants to see it and you can take pictures of it

 

[Eggcessive]

I don't think I would pull anything out with tweezers until you are sure of what it is. You said it was below the vent--could it be a retained piece of umbilical cord. This is a common occurance, especially if you hatch your own eggs, and that should not be touched since it will dry up and be absorbed. I'm not saying you don't have some sort of worm, but a picture would be helpful.

 

[Ivytwilight]

Wow everyone thanks for the fast replies and all the advice! It was very helpful! After looking bot fly larvae up on google I'm 98% sure it is just a maggot. I pulled it out with tweezers and put antibiotic cream the chickie. ( Which is weird because the first cat aka the first pet I ever had was a stray and came to me with a maggot behind her left eye. I hope this isn't a theme with pets for the rest of my life!) The little lady seems none the worse for her adventure, no complications I can report and immediately went about eating when I put her back into the brooder. The other two chickies don't seem to be bothering her yet and I planned to spend a lot of time watching them today anyway, since I am excited to have my babies finally here! I'll keep in eye on her and others. Thanks again everyone for the fast and helpful replies!