Runt Rescue- Mushy chick??

[Helanaii]

Hi! I rescued a runt buff Orpington chick at our local feed store and she looked healthy when I got her two days ago. She was so, so tiny that they had defected her out already, so I took her home with me.

She eats and drinks, runs around with the rest—- however she’s been chirping like she’s in pain since I first got her. Well today I found out this might be why??

I can’t tell what’s going on here entirely… I’m assuming her navel is infected. Can I swab this daily with iodine? I’ve been giving them rooster booster because the Nutri-drench had weird chunks in the water and no one touched it.

Her chance of survival is so small already, I’d really appreciate any advice, I’ll literally do anything if it gives her a chance at life.

This is how small she is… that’s a silkie chick on the left.


I rescue chicks often, I know I can’t save them all… but I really got my hopes so high for this chick, I’m so crushed.

Please help D,x

 

[nuthatched]

Can you get better pictures of what you're referring to? Some chicks are more vocal, as long as she's acting normal, I wouldn't worry.

 

[Eggcessive]

You can betadine to clean the navel and let it dry out. I don’t see swelling on the abdomen. Did the chick have any pasty butt early on? Do you have some Poultry NutriDrench or similar vitamin/electrolyte to give the chick orally? You can try feeding the chick egg yolk and mushy chicken feed with water. What is your brooder temperature?

 

[Helanaii]

You can betadine to clean the navel and let it dry out. I don’t see swelling on the abdomen. Did the chick have any pasty butt early on? Do you have some Poultry NutriDrench or similar vitamin/electrolyte to give the chick orally? You can try feeding the chick egg yolk and mushy chicken feed with water. What is your brooder temperature?

She had a little bit of pasty butt when we first got her off the trucks at the store, I just took a piece of a paper towel and wiped it away, it came off really easily which was good.

I have Rooster booster water mixed in, they’re on day 2 of the booster,‘I planned on giving it to them for another 3 days.
Okay, I’ll go cook up an egg now!
My brooder temp. is 95-100 directly under the light, the cool side is ambient room temp at 78 which is where the water is kept. (They don’t hang out here too long.)

I only have Iodine for farm animals here, I think it’s the same thing, but I’ll go put it on her black thing under her butt.

With her being such an itty bitty runt ontop of whatever is going on, do you think I should keep my hopes high or try to reason that her outcome is very guarded ;; I’ve never had such a severe runt before.

 

[Helanaii]

Can you get better pictures of what you're referring to? Some chicks are more vocal, as long as she's acting normal, I wouldn't worry.

At first I thought that too! But if you listen it’s the “I’m in pain” chirp. She’ll be making this cry with her eyes closed too while she’s standing.

I’m sorry, I tried to get better pictures but she’s so tiny my phone keeps losing focus! That’s the best I could do. :/ It’s just a giant black scab.

 

[Eggcessive]

I would be guarded in hopes for her survival. Shipping stress can be a cause of pasty butt and other issues. She could have had it awhile before it was discovered. But I would try to get her drinking as much as possible, and sprinkle some feed around her feet on some paper towel. Hopefully she will survive. I would use 90-95 degrees the first week, and decrease it weekly. The cooler area is good. Good luck.

 

[pinewoodacres]

So, I have a chick that’s about a week and a half old now who hatched with his belly not completely closed (I think it’s called omphalocele). I finally put him out with the others when he was a couple days old and it was looking similar to this. My understanding is they chirp as they are turning and hatching and that helps absorb the yolk and close them up but this guy made NO noise at all. He pipped on day 23 and everybody else was already hatched or dead in the shell. He finally started chirping up a storm after he hatched and my kids even named him Chirpy.

My main concern was infection risk but I figured he was past that after a couple days of it drying up in his incubator ICU. He was very active, eating and drinking, and seemed lonely also. He seems pretty much fine now outside with his hatchmates but he has pasty butt which I’m monitoring (he’s pooping fine) and he is sleepy still and tiny compared to everyone else. That’s likely partially due to the late hatch and I did have some hatching a couple days early so he’s like half a week behind the oldest ones.

Anyway, I wouldn’t worry about it just yet and that does not look infected to me. Some do have failure to thrive and it’s sad but there’s nothing that can be done for them, it’s basically just a poor gene combination. I hope that’s not the case and she’ll catch up.

 

[Lenny loves chickens]

She is tiny. Holly cows how old?

 

[Helanaii]

So, I have a chick that’s about a week and a half old now who hatched with his belly not completely closed (I think it’s called omphalocele). I finally put him out with the others when he was a couple days old and it was looking similar to this. My understanding is they chirp as they are turning and hatching and that helps absorb the yolk and close them up but this guy made NO noise at all. He pipped on day 23 and everybody else was already hatched or dead in the shell. He finally started chirping up a storm after he hatched and my kids even named him Chirpy.

My main concern was infection risk but I figured he was past that after a couple days of it drying up in his incubator ICU. He was very active, eating and drinking, and seemed lonely also. He seems pretty much fine now outside with his hatchmates but he has pasty butt which I’m monitoring (he’s pooping fine) and he is sleepy still and tiny compared to everyone else. That’s likely partially due to the late hatch and I did have some hatching a couple days early so he’s like half a week behind the oldest ones.

Anyway, I wouldn’t worry about it just yet and that does not look infected to me. Some do have failure to thrive and it’s sad but there’s nothing that can be done for them, it’s basically just a poor gene combination. I hope that’s not the case and she’ll catch up.

Oooh I’m glad your baby did good!!! That’s really reassuring to hear, I’m hoping to keep her clean and healthy- I haven’t seen the black button navel before on chicks so I got a little worried. My chick is super sleepy too! She seems to chirp more when everyone is running around instead of snuggled up and sleeping. Chirpy is such a good name xD
I hope she can be as healthy as your little boy!!! Has he started to catch up in growth a bit?

 

[Helanaii]

She is tiny. Holly cows how old?

Let’s see… since she hatched at the hatchery, I’d say 5 days now. She starting to grow feathers, but the other chicks are towering over her xD