Young chick with vent prolapse - Help!

[esapienza]

Hello,

I found one of my chicks, only 2 weeks old, with a prolapsed vent this morning. It was very bloody from the other chicks pecking at it. And it was sticking out a lot! Approximately the size of an M&M, which is big on a small chick.

I haven't found anything online about this happening to such a young chick who isn't even laying yet.

I separated her from the other chicks and provided food, water, and light for warmth. What is my next step? Wash it? Try and poke it back in?

Thanks so much for any advice!
Emily

 

[Wol1]

I really think you need to get her to an avian vet immediately if it's already been picked at. Infection seems like a possibility. There may also be some internal problem with this poor baby.

If not, the standard procedure is (from the book Avian Medicine: Principles and Applications):

"Prolapsed mucosa should be protected from damage
and desiccation. The tissues should be flushed with
saline and covered with a sterile lubricating jelly or
ointment."
"It is important to treat any
possible underlying cause of prolapse
such as hypocalcemia or other
nutritional or metabolic problems."

Gail Damerow suggests in the poultry health handbook to use hemorrhoid cream (preparation H) before gently pushing it back in. Someone else on this site had the same problem and used a q-tip. (https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/300891/baby-chick-prolapse-help/10) Damerow also suggests the layout of the coop/pen may cause other chicks to pick at the vents of others. I don't know. Prolapse is something I'm dreading.

 

[littlefarmgirl9]

Wash with warm water on a soft cloth. Then use the tiniest bit of soap. Afterwards, you could try a little hydrogen peroxide. Then, gross as it seems, try and poke it back in. If it hurts the chick, stop. Talk to the person who sold you the chicks. You could also try:
americanpoultryassn.com, feathersite.com, albc-usa.org, urban-homesteading.com, or mypetcchicken.com. You could check out a Chicken Encyclopedia, Chick Days by Jenna Woginrich, or any other book on chicken care. You can try a chicken diaper-I know it sounds weird!-which lets the chick poop and prevents the others from pecking. Or you could try a red bulb in your heat lamp-chickens are attracted to red, so they won't tell the difference if you do that. But whatever you do you need to watch them carefully if the chick is reunited.
Are you feeding themany growth hormones, or something that makes them mature faster? If you are, stop. This may have caused the problem. One of these methods, at least, should work.
Hope this helped!

 

[esapienza]

Thanks for the advice and help.

I have separated her and she is still pooping a little. But I don't think she's eating or drinking. She's just standing still looking tired and uncomfortable. Also, some watery blood is still coming out as well. Yipes.

I cleaned her up a bit and tried poking back in to no avail. I am waiting for the "vet" in the family (boyfriend) to get home to give that another go. I am afraid she's going to get so dehydrated in the process though! Poor little thing. She is a nice one.