Yikes! ! Advice please!

[stretchc1]

First day with these chicks, so I was checking for pasting up. One of the babies had a kind of "string" hanging from her fluff, but when I checked, it was under the vent--not on it. She has pooped and is eating and drinking.

But I also noticed that the string was hanging from a hard black bumpy thing. I tried washing off the black thing, but no go. The chick has been sort of worrying the area--trying to reach back there with her beak.

I checked the web and books to see if there was a piece of anatomy that I didn't know about. Found nothing. I figured the bump was a dried on piece of poo--that's what it seemed like when I felt it. I tried again to get it off with warm water and a rub with a soft cloth. Still no go. Chick furious.

So here's the screw up part: I got a pair of scissors and tried snipping it off--and it seems to have been "connected," at least a little bit, because there was a spot of blood. I put BlueKote on with a Q-tip and put the baby back in the brooder. The others are not pecking at her. She's taking a nap now.

Holy cow. What was that black bumpy thing? Should I do something else, or just watch and wait?

 

[Nikki28]

interesting, hopefully someone who has an idea will speak up soon.

 

[illinichick]

Sounds like it was the dried cord so no, you shouldn't have cut it, it will dry and fall off.

 

[stretchc1]

I called the help line at MyPetChicken.com--which I realize I should have done before:/. The woman said that the bumpy thing was the chick's umbilical cord and that I should just leave it alone. It should still dry up and fall off.

Fingers crossed.