Tonight I was giving our 9 day old chicks the daily once over, and one gal had some poop build up on the down beneath her vent. It was a pretty big clump that was stuck on pretty tight, so I got my fingers wet and slowly was able to remove it in chunks.
The last bit was the worst, and when it came off, the poor chick gave an extra loud peep, and I could see I had removed something that had been sub-dermal.
As painful as it must have been, I'm hoping this was a developing feather (sorry little peeper!) and not some sort of parasite. It isn't moving like I would expect from something living, but this is only my second round of chicks and I'm feeling anxious. Please set my mind at ease if you can.
Here come the pictures!
PS
The little peeper got some baby sized mealworms for her pains, and seemed to be otherwise healthy!
The last bit was the worst, and when it came off, the poor chick gave an extra loud peep, and I could see I had removed something that had been sub-dermal.
As painful as it must have been, I'm hoping this was a developing feather (sorry little peeper!) and not some sort of parasite. It isn't moving like I would expect from something living, but this is only my second round of chicks and I'm feeling anxious. Please set my mind at ease if you can.
Here come the pictures!
PS
The little peeper got some baby sized mealworms for her pains, and seemed to be otherwise healthy!
