Vent prolapse? Help, please.

[Villainess]

Trying to make a long story short here but still give details....my husband and I brought 2 Lavender Orpington chicks home from Rural King on 02/03. One was to replace the last LO bought on 1/24 at the same Rural King, that died on 1/25. These chicks were rough looking. My remaining LO from the first trip was from the same “litter” as the rest of these chicks, and mine at home was easily twice the size as the chicks still there. Given the smell when I bent over to take a closer look, it was clear that their tub had not been cleaned in quite some time. And they had pasty butt. EVERY. SINGLE. ONE. Some worse than others. If I didn’t live out in the country so far from a Rural King or other similar store, I probably would not have taken any of the chicks at all, but I didn’t want it to be a wasted trip so I chose 2 of the healthiest looking chicks with the least amount of a crusty bottom. Oh, and my husband talked to the employee that (finally) helped us, as well as the manager who did not seem to give a hoot about the chicks...until my husband threatened to take it higher up...but that’s another story.


We got the chicks home, I washed up their little bottoms, got them dried up, and all was going well once placed into brooder. Until Tuesday, 02/04. I check on the little ones as soon as I get home from work, and I notice one of the new LO’s appear to have poo caked up in his/her downy bottom again. I get to washing the little one up again, holding just it’s bottom under a light trickle of warm water and gently trying to remove the crusted up poo with a sponge swap, when I notice some protrusion. I finished up with washing him/her, doctored up its bottom (cleaned with Vetericyn, then applied a mix of antibiotic ointment and Preparation H), tried to push the vent in gently, and then placed back into the brooder with the rest of the chicks, thinking maybe the warm water had stimulated a need to poop and that’s what I was seeing. Most of the others were already asleep, so this little one cuddled up to some of the others and that was that for the night.


I come home from work today and check on them. The chick in question looks much the same again: vent protruding (prolapsed?), butt crusted up with poo again. I take him/her to the sink and start washing its bottom up again. When I try applying a little pressure to attempt to push the vent back in, the area feels very full, like there’s something in there and it’s preventing me from pushing the vent back in. Still running the chick’s bottom under a trickle of water, I slightly rub the area around the protruding vent to assess if there was any damage. No damage from what I could see, but inside the vent I can see some poop. I take one of the swabs, my son takes another, and we slowly and gently try to squeeze the poop out. Then there’s more poop. We continue trying to squeeze it out, just to continue the process SEVERAL more times. We probably did that for close to 10 minutes before we could no longer see poop in the vent, and that area finally felt like it had loosened up/flattened out and wasn’t pushing back at me. I don’t know if we were supposed to do that, but it just made sense to me to help eliminate what appeared to be impacted poop BEFORE trying to push anything back in. When done I gently tried pushing the vent flush with its body; I’m too afraid to push it IN the cavity, with as small as the chick’s hole is. It seemed to stay for a little bit, then came back out and now looks as though it’s pulsating when the chick breathes. I did apply some more antibiotic ointment and Preparation H, as well giving it water with both electrolytes and antibiotics again.


I currently have the chick separated from the others, using a divider made of hardware cloth in the same brooder. It does not like to be by itself without buddies to snuggle up to, so it sounds like it’s crying and it keeps trying to escape to the other side. It did manage to make its way back to the other side once (and seemed content!) but the other chicks started pecking at its vent, which I don’t want. I thought using a divider where they could all still see each other would be good, but now the chick is right up against the “fence” on this side, a couple of its buddies right up against it on their side. This is in between bouts of just standing in place, sleeping.


What else could or should I do? I’m kind of at a loss, and everything I’ve found when searching online is about hens of laying age with a vent prolapse, not a chick. Is this a vent prolapse, or am I completely off the mark? Any help, advice, feedback, etc. would be GREATLY appreciated!!!





Regards



~Alicia~

 

[azygous]

The chick is prolapsing because it's backed up with a giant poop clog. Do you have coconut oil? Chill briefly to make it solid and break off about half a teaspoon chunk. Then shave off small slivers and slip them into the little beak. Do this until all the half teaspoon is in the chick.

Massage very gently the crop to get the oil to start on its way down the digestive tract. Meanwhile, each time you see the prolapse, take a small thin cloth soaked in witch hazel and gently push it back in.

If you have hydrocortisone cream, it's probably safer and more effective than Prep H. Use it if you have it.

In an hour or so, you should see a giant poop. If not, give the chick another half teaspoon of the coconut oil. If you do not have coconut oil, use mineral oil or olive oil, although it's much easier to use the coconut oil without the danger of getting it into the chick's airway.

 

[micstrachan]

Thanks, @azygous for jumping in to help this little chick. What are your thoughts on molasses in the water? Can’t that act as a laxative? Might she want to try that if the coconut oil doesn’t work?

 

[azygous]

Molasses is a second option if the oil isn't working, but I'd give the oil until tomorrow morning to work.

 

[Villainess]

The chick is prolapsing because it's backed up with a giant poop clog. Do you have coconut oil? Chill briefly to make it solid and break off about half a teaspoon chunk. Then shave off small slivers and slip them into the little beak. Do this until all the half teaspoon is in the chick.

Massage very gently the crop to get the oil to start on its way down the digestive tract. Meanwhile, each time you see the prolapse, take a small thin cloth soaked in witch hazel and gently push it back in.

If you have hydrocortisone cream, it's probably safer and more effective than Prep H. Use it if you have it.

In an hour or so, you should see a giant poop. If not, give the chick another half teaspoon of the coconut oil. If you do not have coconut oil, use mineral oil or olive oil, although it's much easier to use the coconut oil without the danger of getting it into the chick's airway.

Thank you so much @azygous! Probably a stupid question...but where would I buy the coconut oil? Just in the same area I would the other cooking oils? I live in BFE, 30 minutes from town, and unfortunately only have some of this on-hand. Although I do have most of the substitutes. If I used olive oil instead of coconut oil, would it be the same amount of a half teaspoon?

I also wanted to ask; what we did by trying to help get the impacted poop out, was this something that was okay to do, or a big no-no?

I apologize for all the questions, but the advice is much appreciated!

 

[azygous]

Use olive oil. Same half teaspoon, followed by another in an hour if no poop appears.

I'm sure you were as gentle as possible trying to squeeze the poop out, but I wouldn't recommend doing it any more. Chicks are extremely fragile. Squeezing anything on their little bodies is a huge risk of injuring them.

Next time you're at the grocery store, pick up a small container of unrefined coconut oil in the cooking oil section. If you can get it with the coconut flavor left in, chickens like the taste as a general rule. Keep it in your chicken first aid kit. It's very good medicine. It has natural antibiotic and anti-fungal properties and many of us use it to treat many different chicken health issues.

 

[Villainess]

Thank you, and duly noted; I’m still trying to learn a lot of this as I go. I was just thinking that myself about getting some coconut oil now to add to my chickens first aid kit. Again, thank you for all the help!

 

[Painted Calls]

Great advice given already for the prolapse, but I just wanted to add something that may help with the separation anxiety..

Try placing an old fashioned feather duster (the kind with the feathers) on her side, straight up and down with the handle up, so she can snuggle into it. I would place it right against the divider so she can feel as close as possible to the others but still be safe.

Good luck!

 

[Villainess]

I’m sad to report that the little one didn’t make it :’( My husband had planned to go into town for some coconut oil and witch hazel as soon as the store opened (I was at work), but it had passed sometime between him showering and getting his coat on to head out.

I suppose I should take some small consolation in knowing that I gave the little one a good home for a short while, rather than remaining in a Rural King tub for who knows how long. Thank you to those that took the time to read and offer their expertise.

That would have been an excellent idea, @Overo Mare! Though I can’t recall the last time I’ve actually see one....hahaha.

 

[Painted Calls]

Sorry to hear that he didn't make it. I'm sure that he was glad to receive actual care for the last part of his little life though.