UPDATE: I think my chick might be about to prolapse!

[lryals07]

Please, please help. I have a 3week old chick (Lucy) that I'm not sure what to do with. Soon after getting her I thought she might have pasty-butt (or however you spell it) so I did the warm-water-paper-towel thing to clean it & everything seemed fine. Last week though I started noticing that she can barely go to the bathroom--every time she tries she cheeps super loudly & strains really hard (she squats a little, pulls her wings slightly down and to the side, and bares down). What comes out (when anything does) isn't watery at all but big, solid & compact, & it usually gets stuck & just hangs there with her poor little vent stretched tight & red. I read about giving them olive oil so I've been using a dropper to do that morning & night for a week now, but it doesn't seem to be helping. Things may be a little softer (as evidenced by smearing on her little butt feathers) but she's still having a horrible time. The vent itself definitely is not blocked, there's just an issue getting the poop out. She interacts with the other chicks & walks around & all but I think she looks a little listless and sometimes she'll just suddenly stop to rest with her little eyes closed. Her & the other chicks (we have 6 total) are on chick starter & have pine shavings as bedding. She definitely has an appetite, though she doesn't seem to drink as much. I'm not sure what else to try as it breaks my heart every time I hear her "yelling". What could be wrong & what can I do about it?

 

[Wynette]

That's very unusual; I would try some plain, natural (non-flavored) yogurt - offer it free choice for a few hours per day for a few days; this will give her and the others all the beneficial microbes/probiotics needed for good gut movement. That might be just enough to help this little one, and it certainly won't hurt. Poor thing!

 

[CheerfulHeart2]

Hope things start looking up with her.

 

[lryals07]

So we tried the yogurt last night & some diluted molasses & it seemed like she was doing better (or at least she passed some softer poo), but when I came home just now & took her out to observe her she started straining to go. She pushed some out so I picked her back up to carry her to the yard pen (she's only 3.5 weeks old) & looked at her little rear. She started straining again & it looked like her little vent was going to turn inside out or something! It looked normal until she pushed & then there was this bulging, red mass pushing through. It recedes back in when she stops straining but I'm so scared that she's prolapsing from all the strain. I brought her in with me & cleaned the area & all. She is wrapped in a little towel sleeping on my chest right now but I just don't know what to do for her. She's so little & sweet...Do I keep trying with the molasses to see if it will loosen everything up so that it can pass easier? And just keep an eye on her little vent to make sure she doesn't actually prolapse? I've scoured through the forums so I know about PrepH or Witch Hazel or Honey if something DOES come out, but what do I do right now? Somebody please help!

 

[bantybev]

Is she getting a good supply of grit? If she is outside she may be eating things she isn't able to digest properly yet. Or she may be eating the pine shavings.