Very urgent! Intestine or umbilical cord?

[Abriana]

This is for a friend of mine. She and her mom hatch chicks and they had this one hatch. The daughter texted me asking what to do because she thought the chick was shrink wrapped. I told her what to do for that, but she was very nervous and asked if she could bring it over for me to take care of for a few days, I said yes, of course.

The mom and daughter pulled some shell off too early I think and she was bleeding from her naval a lot. She has sticky chick syndrome, not shrink wrapped. I just gave her a warm bath and it was pretty successful. But she had a sort of “string” hanging out of her naval. Her belly is also swollen and transparent—you can see inside (not very deep, but definitely transparent), and her head seems swollen (like a balloon, if I place my finger on it it gives). She is not opening her eyes (I assume they are glued shut, but her swollen head also seems to be causing a problem, it’s like her eyes aren’t aligned with the opening for the eyes) or walking, and she is shaking.

Is she past saving? She is very cute and I already love her even though she isn’t mine. We have started fluid (there’s a good article around here about this) that I can use to euthanize (I’ve done it before). But if I can save her I want to. She won’t take the nutridrench I try to give her, and she obviously can’t eat. She is peeping though and seems to be breathing strongly.

 

[Abriana]

It’s been a busy two and a half days (I got my drivers license yesterday!) so I haven’t been able to update. The owners decided not to cull as after prayer she seemed to be getting stronger. Her name is now Deloise and I bought her and two other chicks from the original owners (Sidra is yellow with fluffy cheeks, and Chaska, who’s yellow with grayish brown stripes down her back). She is doing amazing! I gave her more baths and almost all of the stickiness is off. She’s still weak but the swelling went down completely and her legs were swollen and weak but now she stands a lot and can run around. She’s also drinking on her own and eating (although I still give/offer her nutridrench water from the dropper regularly, and her water that she has in there has nutridrench too). Yesterday she basically just laid down. She’d take less than a step and have to lay down. But today she is much better and walks around a lot. I can tell that she’s steadily getting stronger!

My sister put a box In her space and she LOVES sitting in it. She literally never comes out.

 

[Xouie]

Looks like a stray bit of umbilical schmutz, not an intestinal hernia.

 

[J-Danger]

I am so happy to read that the chick didn't get culled! I am not sure about the other issues you had listed, but I imagine intestines are much larger than the string in your photo, the navel didn't look concerning and if she was assisted to hatch too early, the head swelling may just be the 'special "hatching muscle"' mentioned in the Step by Step Guide to ASSISTED Hatching.

The following has been copied from the above article:
"A special "hatching muscle" on the back of the chick's neck (see photo to the right) swells to several times its normal size with a great influx of fluid from the embryo's lymphatic system. This swelling accentuates sensory signals sent through the neck, stimulating the embryo to further activity."

Maybe this could also explain the shaking?

Best of luck and keep us posted on the adventures of Deloise and co.!

 

[Abriana]

For anyone wondering about Deloise, this is her and her sisters now! They’ve all gotten so pretty and are pretty much all feathered. Deloise is perfectly healthy (except for missing some feathers under her wings—I’m not sure why she doesn’t have feathers yet, they are growing in slowly though). Their favorite thing to do is jump and fly around outside or in the coop, and snuggle up for naps together

 

[Ruby Rogue]

Though it looks fine to me, could you turn the light off and snap a quick pic with natural light or flash? How old is she? What's the temperature under her light? Could you maybe get her to eat some scrambled eggs?

 

[Ruby Rogue]

She does look odd, but it might be because she is so wet. I've never tried it but I've heard others recommend drying on low with a hair dryer. Is this something you could do? I'm afraid she won't be able to get warm enough as long as she is still wet.

 

[Ruby Rogue]

Sorry. I hate to see you give up on her based solely on the things you listed. I've never had to cull so I don't know. I have had a chick hatch similar to this and she pulled through with my care. I hate to make your decision harder, only you know your particular situation.

 

[Xouie]

So glad to hear she’s doing well.

 

[Glennzo]

It’s been a busy two and a half days (I got my drivers license yesterday!) so I haven’t been able to update. The owners decided not to cull as after prayer she seemed to be getting stronger. Her name is now Deloise and I bought her and two other chicks from the original owners (Sidra is yellow with fluffy cheeks, and Chaska, who’s yellow with grayish brown stripes down her back). She is doing amazing! I gave her more baths and almost all of the stickiness is off. She’s still weak but the swelling went down completely and her legs were swollen and weak but now she stands a lot and can run around. She’s also drinking on her own and eating (although I still give/offer her nutridrench water from the dropper regularly, and her water that she has in there has nutridrench too). Yesterday she basically just laid down. She’d take less than a step and have to lay down. But today she is much better and walks around a lot. I can tell that she’s steadily getting stronger!

My sister put a box In her space and she LOVES sitting in it. She literally never comes out.
View attachment 2374875

That is so great to hear!!!