Bubble from butt, All of a sudden deathly ill chick?

[Blackdog406]

Today I began treating my chicks’ water with Corid. Yesterday evening I had a chick that I had been hand feeding for about a week, die. After tons of research I decided it was coccidosis. Her crop was mushy, without odor, and even though i force fed her, she wasn’t gaining weight. The others have been seemingly fine, but decided to treat just to be safe.

Tonight, I have found one of the chicks that was okay this morning, all humped up, away from the crowd, sort of cold, and weak. I just thought, “oh it’s the coccidosis”. I picked her up to put her on the heating pad since she’s been away from the lamp, and it sounded like air came from her rear. I got baby wipe to clean her and noticed this thin, clear, bubble blowing out of her vent. Along with this bubble was what looks like a yellow fleshy string. I thought it was poo and kept wiping it and it wouldn’t go anywhere so I pulled on it. It seems to be attached? It doesn’t seem to hurt her to mess with it, but when it’s pulled on and stretched to the max, she seems to feel it.

If anyone could shed some light on this I’d be grateful. I’ve searched and searched and they all come to prolapse. This is not a prolapse. Dealt with that many a time, and can assure, that’s not prolapse (unless it’s different looking in chicks) I’m honestly not sure how much time she’s got left as I’m unsure of her lethargy being from cocci or -this-. Thanks!

 

[Blackdog406]

Anyone?

 

[Ebony Rose]

Corid (amprolium), severe outbreak dosages (You'll see two different dosages on package, choose the heavy duty dose). Electrolytes in their water may help, make sure you don't put vitamin supplements in the water while you're using Corid. You might have worms too, have these chicks been in the grass, on soil, are they living where other birds have been (and pooped?) Is a vet an option for a fecal float test to confirm or rule out worms and other internal parasites? If a vet is not an option, your feed store can sell you deworming powder to put in their water, and you can do both corid and the antiparasitic treatment in the same water as they won't interfere with each other. Time is of the essence, these babes are mighty sick.
I am so sorry you're going through this and also sorry to say that things might get worse before they get better; chicks are so vulnerable. I wouldn't force them to drink as their mouth is so small that it could go down the wrong way (aspirate), but if you put a drop of water on their beak, they'll often 'slurp' it up.
I'll keep your feathered family in my prayers.

 

[Blackdog406]

Thank you so much, I may be able to pull off the vet thing, just really gotta Work the hubby. I’ve just mixed the Corid for a drench instead of doing the water treatment. (Can I leave the treated water there? Or should I only have one method?) I was actually going to do a post Mortem on the chick that died yesterday evening and got so busy that I forgot ‍ It’s pretty cold here, I wonder if it’s too late? She’s in a box, I guess I could check to see if anything has crawled out of her.
So what’s with the bubble? Her poop is super yellow, super slimy now. The bubble seems to only come out occasionally, like if she’s being held; and it’s like it inflates when she breathes.
These chicks haven’t been outside yet. I have a huge galvanized water trough that they are in inside the house. I did have to put an older bantam chick with them, because his (even older) buddy was ready to go outside with the other chickens. He was lonely and screamed, a lot. I haven’t noticed that he had anything though, never have. I will get some dewormer tomorrow just in case. If you think that’s a worm, should I just pull it on out? It doesn’t move.

 

[DiYMama540]

My first thought was worms also, but not sure. Wouldn't hurt to worm them all... I always just assume all my birds have worms, and treat them regularly for it it. Hope you figure out what's going on!

 

[Ebony Rose]

I wouldn't pull anything out of a chick, I'd medicate them... if it's a worm, the meds will kill it and then the chick will poop out the dead husk. Much safer than possibly grabbing ahold of a chicks bowel or umbilical cord...

 

[Ebony Rose]

My first thought was worms also, but not sure. Wouldn't hurt to worm them all... I always just assume all my birds have worms, and treat them regularly for it it. Hope you figure out what's going on!

I live in a tropical rain forest, I totally get the assuming they've got worms, I treat mine a couple of times annually.

 

[Ebony Rose]

I reread your post asking about the meds both ways, Yes, that should be fine to leave it that way. With a warm damp wash cloth, keep their little butts clean... the last thing they need is to add pasty butt to their problems. If it's coccidia overload, it's unlikely that you'd see evidence of it with the naked eye, but some worms (not all) can be seen. How familiar are you with the internal organs of chickens? If it's your first time, please post photographs as you go along, so that experienced eyes might notice what others might not. Chickens do have an abdominal air sack (they have nine air sacks throughout their body plus two lungs). It wouldn't be too far fetched to consider the possibility of a hernia caused by a congenital defect... It wouldn't be a blanket diagnosis for all of your chicks, but coccidia, probably introduced by the older chick being brought in to live with them, after having lived outdoors, is an opportunistic parasite that baby chicks haven't built an immunity to yet. Not laying blame. Coccidia is everywhere, on every continent, with many different strains. Healthy, adult chickens build resistance to them and you'd only notice coccidiosis (an overload) if your bird(s) are otherwise immuno-compromised, such as injury, stress, or underlying disease. Baby chickens haven't had the chance to build a resistance, so it's common for them to fall sick from them soon after their "feet hit the ground" the first time. I don't let chicks out onto the yard until I've started dosing their water with Corid due to the environment where I live (Rain forest). Rain floats the one-celled organism & their eggs to the surface, where it's easy for foraging birds to ingest them.

 

[Blackdog406]

I reread your post asking about the meds both ways, Yes, that should be fine to leave it that way. With a warm damp wash cloth, keep their little butts clean... the last thing they need is to add pasty butt to their problems. If it's coccidia overload, it's unlikely that you'd see evidence of it with the naked eye, but some worms (not all) can be seen. How familiar are you with the internal organs of chickens? If it's your first time, please post photographs as you go along, so that experienced eyes might notice what others might not. Chickens do have an abdominal air sack (they have nine air sacks throughout their body plus two lungs). It wouldn't be too far fetched to consider the possibility of a hernia caused by a congenital defect... It wouldn't be a blanket diagnosis for all of your chicks, but coccidia, probably introduced by the older chick being brought in to live with them, after having lived outdoors, is an opportunistic parasite that baby chicks haven't built an immunity to yet. Not laying blame. Coccidia is everywhere, on every continent, with many different strains. Healthy, adult chickens build resistance to them and you'd only notice coccidiosis (an overload) if your bird(s) are otherwise immuno-compromised, such as injury, stress, or underlying disease. Baby chickens haven't had the chance to build a resistance, so it's common for them to fall sick from them soon after their "feet hit the ground" the first time. I don't let chicks out onto the yard until I've started dosing their water with Corid due to the environment where I live (Rain forest). Rain floats the one-celled organism & their eggs to the surface, where it's easy for foraging birds to ingest them.

I’m not a super newbie, but new enough that I’ve not seen this before. I sort of thought air sac by the way it inflated during respiration, and if this is the case, is this chick dead on her feet?

it’s the middle of winter here, so my bantam has never been outdoors. He’s only about 4-5months old. I did have to bring the Wyandotte back in, as the ONLY HEN that I tried to put her with really put a hurtin on her. That was only two days ago though, so I can’t imagine she brought it in and they’ve been infected that quickly.

what is it exactly you’d like more pics of? Sorry, I’m just not sure if you meant progress/worsening, or if you need more, better pics of her bum. I took her off the heating pad after I cleaned out the bedding and put clean feeders/waterers in. The other chicks were eating and drinking, and I hoped she would try. She went straight for the lamp, fluffed up. I’ve been up all night, I have about 4/5 hours before TS opens, but I highly doubt she makes it that long. This is discouraging.

my only other post on this site is of one of my other chicks dying recently, (was trying to figure out her breed). I dont know if you’ve ever had a favorite that you babied and it went everywhere you did, but I did she was amazing. My husband kept telling me to leave the heat lamp in since it was starting to get pretty cold... she had a heat stroke. That began the downward spiral of losing chickens. I have 3 separate flocks right now, and all of them survived into adulthood. This latest batch plus ms. Penny, nada.

down three chicks, bout to be 4, in the last 45 days.

 

[Blackdog406]

Also, I just realized, she’s the only chick with no feathers around her vent.