URGENT advice needed!!! 2 Day Old Chick can't poop, has something attached to her bum?

[Breezy Optimist]

I have a 2 day old button quail, who is now eating, drinking and running round like a loony. So all fit and well apart from no pooping?

I checked the bum area and no inflammation, or swollen stomach or anything, but there was a solid black/brown bit in the bum. So i gave it a bit of a squeeze, and it started coming out a little, and the chick was more than happy for me to be doing this, so i assume it was helping.

I tired getting it all the way out by using warm water, and a bit more squeezing, but when i managed to grab it (i'm talking 2 day old button quail here), it wouldn't come free without pulling on the skin? So i didn't want to yank it off in case it's something else?

Is it just a brown solid lump of poop? Or is it part of the bottom? It's gone back inside almost since i let it go, but when the chick tries to poop, it comes out a little, but it just won't let go of the skin?

I've given the chick some olive oil, and sugar water, but neither has seemed to have helped. I've wet the area, and that helped me to grab the thing, but again, i didn't want to yank it out as it was attached to the skin and the chick started chirping a little.

Had a little accident with the olive oil, as the chick ran at the pippet i was using to coat the food in, and got the oil on her chick fluff, and then she ran straight in front of the heat lamp! So she has a lump of baby fluff missing. I rushed her to the kitchen and bathed her in warm water, and her skin is fine, she just lost the fluff thank god! She's not in any pain if i touch her, her skin isnt burned or blistered, and she's still running around like a loony. Actually eating more today, and starting to drink on her own rather than waiting for the pippet.

But still not pooping and it's day 2. So, should i just pull that black/brown solid bit out next time i try? Or will it do some damage if it's looking like it's attached to the skin inside there?

 

[Breezy Optimist]

30mins after writing this post, after a whole night spent with this chick trying to get her to poop, she finally did

I guess giving that bit of solid poop a bit of a tug helped

Never in my life have i been so happy to see poo lmao!

I'll leave this here in case anyone else has the same problem...

I did the following...

Gave her sugar water through a pippet.

Gave her olive oil, mixed with food, and direct from a pippet (she liked it?)

Bathed her behind in warm water (she LOVED that and wouldn't come out lol)

Used my fingers to squeeze her behind area to try and force the solid mass out.

Used my fingernails to grip the little solid poop and pulled until i wasn't sure it should come off.

Hope this helps anyone else going through the same thing xx

 

[Eggsoteric]

Young chicks should be monitored for what's referred to as "pasty butt." Any poo that's hardened and adhered itself should be gently cleaned away so the chick can eliminate. One can use a little warm water to soften the poo and clear it. Young chicks can perish from pasty butt so it's best to be diligent in checking your chicks daily. I've only experienced pasty butt in chicks raised in a brooder; I've not had any issues with chicks having pasty butt when raised by a broody hen.

Good on you for helping your little one.

 

[ramsburgchicken]

Soooo glad we let our hens raise the chicks. They did an excellent job taking care of this for their babies.

 

[Breezy Optimist]

Young chicks should be monitored for what's referred to as "pasty butt." Any poo that's hardened and adhered itself should be gently cleaned away so the chick can eliminate. One can use a little warm water to soften the poo and clear it. Young chicks can perish from pasty butt so it's best to be diligent in checking your chicks daily. I've only experienced pasty butt in chicks raised in a brooder; I've not had any issues with chicks having pasty butt when raised by a broody hen.

Good on you for helping your little one.

It's the first time i've ever had a constipated chick, but so glad i managed to get it sorted. She went downhill pretty fast, was so sure i was going to lose her. But, she's now pooping like a trooper haha! and walking around mumbling away to herself while she eats and drinks She will be joined by her brothers and sisters who are due to hatch tomorrow, so that will be good for her too.

But i will be watching for anymore like that. Now i know what to do

Sadly i don't have a broody hen. My parents have an aviary with the female in there, but she wouldn't sit on the eggs, so i took them home and incubated them. As soon as they are ready they will return to my parents and then go in the aviary, or a separate run if there's any problems adding them with the others.

But here she is... having a cuddle

 

[Breezy Optimist]

Soooo glad we let our hens raise the chicks. They did an excellent job taking care of this for their babies.

Ideally we wanted the mother to raise them, but she wouldn't sit on the eggs, so i took them home and incubated them.

She did sit on her second batch of eggs, but only for 1 week.

We did a candle of them and there is development, so i've taken those on as well. Hopefully we got them warmed in time, as we think she abandoned them during the night, and we didn't realise til the following afternoon. Fingers crossed.

Not everyone is lucky enough to have a hen that knows what to do i guess, and i hear quails are not the best for raising their own eggs and chicks due to so much human interference over the years. Sad really

 

[ramsburgchicken]

Ideally we wanted the mother to raise them, but she wouldn't sit on the eggs, so i took them home and incubated them.

She did sit on her second batch of eggs, but only for 1 week.

We did a candle of them and there is development, so i've taken those on as well. Hopefully we got them warmed in time, as we think she abandoned them during the night, and we didn't realise til the following afternoon. Fingers crossed.

Not everyone is lucky enough to have a hen that knows what to do i guess, and i hear quails are not the best for raising their own eggs and chicks due to so much human interference over the years. Sad really

We had a rough time with one hen getting up and leaving eggs sit to get cold and having eggs tossed from the box. We found out how resilient a fertile egg is, and we couldn't believe it. What helped us the most was the roosters would come sit on the eggs and also yeah the chicks to eat and drink. So even if mama wasn't the best, we still had a little extra help. We tried using and incubator with no luck.

Sounds like you're already doing better than we did though.

All depends on your setup. We also found that even though silkies are "supposed to be good at raising chicks" not all of them are.

 

[Breezy Optimist]

Wow, you still hatched some eggs that were left to go cold? That's actually really interesting, because the eggs that were left overnight and pretty much most of the day were in a nest still , but were cold when they got to me. So maybe i'll be lucky too and still get them to hatch?

I've never hatched chickens, simply because i have nowhere to keep a chicken, otherwise i'd be giving all types of eggs a go at hatching haha! But yeah, from what you are saying it sounds like there's no hard and fast rule with types of birds, it's down to individuals. Some of them are going to be good parents, and others just won't know what to do.

But that's great you had a male helping out!

But yeah, again, that's pretty encouraging that your cold eggs hatched, so that makes me feel a little more hopeful about this lot that have been given to me to take over. I'm going to give them another candle in a few days to see if they've developed a bit more from when i first got them.

I have 8 little eggs in the incubator tapping away at the moment as they are due to hatch tomorrow, but i think they might hatch tonight from the sounds of them!

So thanks again And the little quail is still doing great. Sitting on top of a sock in the brooder looking like a proper little quail already, bless it.

 

[ramsburgchicken]

Wow, you still hatched some eggs that were left to go cold? That's actually really interesting, because the eggs that were left overnight and pretty much most of the day were in a nest still , but were cold when they got to me. So maybe i'll be lucky too and still get them to hatch?

I've never hatched chickens, simply because i have nowhere to keep a chicken, otherwise i'd be giving all types of eggs a go at hatching haha! But yeah, from what you are saying it sounds like there's no hard and fast rule with types of birds, it's down to individuals. Some of them are going to be good parents, and others just won't know what to do.

But that's great you had a male helping out!

But yeah, again, that's pretty encouraging that your cold eggs hatched, so that makes me feel a little more hopeful about this lot that have been given to me to take over. I'm going to give them another candle in a few days to see if they've developed a bit more from when i first got them.

I have 8 little eggs in the incubator tapping away at the moment as they are due to hatch tomorrow, but i think they might hatch tonight from the sounds of them!

So thanks again And the little quail is still doing great. Sitting on top of a sock in the brooder looking like a proper little quail already, bless it.

Absolutely! Our silkie Hashbrown, we let her keep 3 eggs. She got off them while I was at work at some point and after I got home they were cold, this was also during the winter! I was positive they wouldn't hatch but for some reason stuck them back under her. She also pushed each out of the nesting box tales St twice and they were cold as well. Again, each time, stuffed them back under her. All 3 hatched.

I was shocked! I remember reading somewhere that if the humidity is right, as long as the eggs don't freeze, they should still hatch after getting chilled, if mama does go back. Here's a picture of Hashbrown with one of her hens she hatched..

 

[Breezy Optimist]

Awwwww, look at that face! She's adorable! And the little chick there too, awwww Wow, that's so good though, that you put them back under her rather than just throwing them away thinking they were no good. Is your chicken friendly? I know some people have chickens that come to a whistle etc lol

I just had 7 chicks hatch about an hour ago 100% hatch rate, not bad for a beginner eh? lol They are so cute!




And, i just had a look at the 12 eggs that went cold before they were given to me, and all of them have almost fully developed chicks alive and kicking in them So i need to clear some room for these guys when they hatch haha! All due around Tuesday.