prolapsed vent baby chick prolapsed vent baby chick

I warn you now, this first photo, taken on my cell phone (sorry about the quality) is rather gross. Keeping waterers clean and water fresh is also essential . Keep cleaning the vent for as many days as it takes for the vent gleet to subside. Keep the bird warm while you dry them off. Wednesday came, and the oldest country kid (who had been beside himself because Ester is his chicken) informed me upon checking her after breakfast, that there was an egg in the pen. Is It Normal For Chickens To Crow All Day? Cloaca/Vent The Cloaca is an orifice used for urinating, defecating and also for mating. It seems to be shrinking a little on it's own, so I'll wait until tomorrow to try the hemorrhoid cream that was recommended by others You can try the bandage. Customer: I have a baby chick with a swollen vent and it's got what looks to puss leaking from it JA: I'll do all I can to help. A towel over the tub to block light can help your chicken relax. Does her butt look pretty much swollen shut? It can occur in any bird that strains frequently. Putting them in the fridge would successfully kill the blastoderm in a few hours. At her age, she's definitely not a spring chicken anymore! Both feces and eggs are dispatched through this one small opening. Often characterized by a collection of red tissue hanging out of the hen's posterior, prolapse vent is easily . That was quite the feat. It was all about being gentle and using some common sense. Give the oviduct a break for a while by slowing egg production. Birds with prolapsed cloacas require emergency care. In other words, its the baby maker and the exit for their birdy poo. But ducks do occasionally experience health issues. Treatment of vent prolapse should also include: withholding feed for at least 24 hours but providing lots of fresh water, followed by several days of light rations of mainly greens will help prevent another egg being laid in order to give the vent time to heal. Informing the oldest country kid that we would have to put his bird down, if she had prolapsed again, made me sick to my stomach. If you see poop stuck to your chick's behind, simply get a warm, wet cloth and apply gentle pressure to loosen the stool. Adjust ME in feed to lower limit of recommendations. Ideally, if you have invested in a high-quality incubator and carefully monitored temperature and humidity levels, you and your chicks will have a pleasant hatching experience. I am so glad we were able to "fix" Ester but I knew as soon as I saw it, it was going to be a tough job. I wouldn't stand in line with him . Hi- i'm new to this but i've heard that you can use hemmoroid cream . The vent is a prime area for bullies, so there's a chance the bleeding occurred from pecking. WHAT!?!?! apply an anti-inflammatory cream such as hydrocortisone (hemorrhoid ointment was once the treatment of choice, but is no longer considered appropriate) or continue spraying with Vetericyn 2-3 times per day until healed. JavaScript is disabled. When the littlest country kid came inside to tell me that one of the chickens butt had something stuck to it, I was neither shocked nor surprised. Her inners had stayed in!!! I had my hubby pick up some Preparation H cream on the way home, which he was none too pleased about. There are circumstances where complications can arise, and the situation can become severe, but when found and treated in the early stages, most hens make a full recovery. PH imbalance. For Ester, her girly parts are getting old and worn out, and she strained too hard laying and POP, out came her inners.Now if you google the internet about prolapsed vents in chickens, the first thing you will notice, or at least I did, is that a lot of the articles out there seem to be regurgitating the same information, sometimes word for word. Diagnostic signs - Parts of the internal reproductive tract protrude from the vent. Once the mass is softened, use warm water to gently work the mass from the chick. Cover your birds head and upper body with a towel to keep it calm before pushing the prolapsed vent back in. Emergencies / Diseases / Injuries and Cures. Wet a paper towel in the bowl of warm water and apply to chick's rear to soften the dried droppings. Once the egg is hatched, a chicken typically takes less than 30 minutes to push it out and resume its natural reproductive cycle. How Can I Prevent This From Happening Again? . What else can go wrong with my chicks bottom? My breath caught in my chest, this was it, make it or break it time, had she prolapsed again? Prolapse Vent in Chickens: Causes & Treatment. Prolapsed organs cannot heal themselves, and most worsen over time. Transportation and adjusting to a new home are conditions of stress that may activate latent infections in otherwise strong healthy individuals and result in Vent Gleet. Clean the vent area daily with warm water and a mild detergent like Dawn dish soap. I hope you love it! Beside heat, food and water another important thing the baby chicks need checked is they're vents for poop buildup / poopy butts. Youd then need to push the prolapsed vent back into the bird. A forum community dedicated to chicken owners and enthusiasts. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. Just make sure the other chick doesn't pick on sore area. Better Hens and Gardens may earn a commission for purchases made after clicking on links on this page. Thank you for watching this video about helping your chicken with a prolapsed vent. Separate it from the others because they will peck the chick and it will bleed. This is the first time one of my laying hens has had a prolapse vent or has been egg bound, so it was stressful for both of us, but I was able to remove the egg without breaking it inside of her (which can be a death sentence). Share this post: on Twitter on Facebook on Google+. Now I know you are sitting there wondering why I would put Preparation H on a chicken with a prolapsed vent, cause we all know it is for hemorrhoids. JavaScript is disabled. Shrinkage of a prolapse or passage of a stuck egg within 24 hours is a good sign. Vent Prolapse: This develops when the bird's inner tissue protrudes out of the bird's vent and becomes exposed. A prolapsed oviduct is noticeable as it looks like their insides are falling out of their vent and you may also find blood and feces on their feathers around the vent. Frostbite in Backyard Chickens: Causes, Treatment & Prevention. If the chicken has been cannibalised by flock mates, the vent may also be bloody or torn. Outdoor Hub, LLC (d/b/a Carbon Media Group), 30800 Telegraph Rd, Suite 1921, Bingham Farms, MI 48025 USA. It is most dangerous when it completely blocks their vent opening, because the chick will be unable pass any more droppings. It is still too dry. WOW!! Baby chick with swollen bottom. What?!?! If you could send a photo of Faith's vent, that would be great. It is painful and stressful for the chick and can . It's vent was hard as a rock and something hard and white was sticking out a little. This is a severe condition, and possible treatments will be outlined in this article. Even 50 or 70 so long as the temp is consistent and not warm nor cold - eggs should be cool. Baby chicks are under a lot of stress during the first weeks of life. Beyond being an effective wound care product, Vetericyn is safe to use on egg-laying hens and doesnt sting, stain skin or obscure the view of healing wounds the way other livestock antiseptic products can. With some TLC from you, most chicks with pasty vent can survive. After awhile their anus's did not look right, they protruded. I began to breathe a little better. Adding ACV is an easy addition to a flocks diet for good health and boosted immune systems. If you must treat an egg bound chicken yourself, follow the following steps: Young hens will often burst a blood vessels when they first begin to lay eggs and getting a blood smeared egg and bloody feathers is quite common in POL hens. No matter how she came to this point in our day that Monday, upon seeing her, I knew it was BAD. What is the Vent? I also placed a towel over the pen to make it nice and dark in the hopes that less light would mean she would skip a day of laying, thus giving her body more time to rest. She still cries when she tries to poop now. Henlo! Lubricate it with medicated Vaseline or mastitis ointment. Kathy. We got her out, and as I dug through her yucky feathers, I prayed that all was right.. And it was a success!!!! I didn't know this could happen to chickens and although I don't keep them myself I found this post so interesting. If your hen is broody, meaning she has fertilized eggs or thinks she does, she may not lay eggs for up to 21 days. Mostly really, really gross. I didn't have a clue about how to fix it. Because the conditions in this list often occur simultaneously, proper identification can be confusing. I was able to loosen and remove the bound egg, and gently wash her prolapse vent.It was 10 degrees outside in Anchorage, Alaska, today, so before starting anything, I soaked her in the kitchen sink with warm water. I called our vet, who said there was little they could do beyond attempting to push it back in and giving her a stitch to keep it in. Another cause of chicken diarrhea is vent prolapse, which can occur because of a calcium deficiency or because the bird is over- or underweight. I feel better prepared and will add Preparation H to the chicken medical kit! Make a Cookie Tin Waterer Heater. As mentioned previously, gastroschisis in chicks carries with it a poor chance of survival. How Much Hay Does a Rabbit Eat In A Month? Then push the prolapsed mass very gently back into the vent. The cloaca is the chamber just inside the vent where the digestive, urinary, and reproductive tracts end. pasted vent) occurs when poo dries in the chick's vent (her pooper) and the blockage prevents her from defecating.This is a critical situation for a baby chick and should be addressed immediately because it can be fatal. Ester has since resumed laying regularly with no repeats . Prolapse of the cloaca or vent is a serious problem. Thank you all for the advice. Almost all deformities and mortalities that occur during hatching can be attributed to temperature and humidity problems. Do Chickens Get Sad When You Take Their Eggs? Should I Remove Skin From Chicken Thighs For Soup? Yogurt is filled with probiotics with live cultures and it will help to rehydrate the bird. Excessive heat. Strong unpleasant smell. If you prefer, you can take your bird to be seen by an avian vet who will massage the vent back in. Antibiotics are usually administered to prevent infection in the affected organs. It is most dangerous when it completely blocks their vent opening, because the chick will be unable pass any more droppings. Vent gleet can also develop after a round of antibiotics if probiotics are not given to the bird. It slept for two hours without eating or drinking but seemed perkier. The chick normally absorbs the yolk sac in the last days before hatching, providing fluids and nutrients for the first days . The best way to ensure healthy chicks is to preempt hatching issues by ensuring optimal incubator conditions. If the chick is listless, not eating/drinking, or appears to have labored breathing, the best option is to put it out of its misery. Now if you google the internet about prolapsed vents in chickens, the first thing you will notice, or at least I did, is that a lot of the articles out there seem to be regurgitating the same information, sometimes word for word. Strong unpleasant smell. Cloacal prolapse or vent prolapse is a condition where the inner tissues of the cloaca protrude (hang out) from the vent, exposing the intestines, cloaca or uterus. More likely than not, it is from pushing too hard when laying. Hard white crusting on dirty tail feathers. I was a poultry leader in 4H many years ago, so I know the feeling. The Fora platform includes forum software by XenForo. Brilliant about the Preparation H. Have a great weekend. Just keep us posted, it sounds like you may have helped the poor peep pass some poo. There are two types of egg peritonitis; septic peritonitis caused by bacterial infection (E. coli) and non-septic peritonitis, which is caused by other factors. A broken egg can become infected and lead to peritonitis, which is caused by egg material stuck inside the hen and must be treated immediately with an antibiotic and probiotic powder to build up her good bacteria. (Don't be afraid if a little of the chick's fluffy rear end feathers come out, too.). Isolating the bird will also keep other birds from pecking at the birds vent. She was a "free exotic rare breed" that came with my peep order. They have flat, oval bodies, and are nearly white when unfed, but become bright red when recently fed, turning gray to black when the blood meal is partially digested. If you have a portable heater, place it next to your work station for the chick's comfort. It squats to poop and cries. *Graphic Photos** Fowl Pox Prevention & Treatment. As its name implies, an umbilical hernia is a fleshy protrusion alongside the chicks umbilical cord. My chicken has a prolapse and it will not stay inside. . I just knew see had prolapsed, because if anything can go wrong, it will go wrong, and the weirdest stuff always happens to us. It is possible that under the right conditions the prolapse can retract and heal on its own but for this to work your hen will need to be isolated, kept inactive and need regular attention. I have suger in the water but have not tried molasses. You can even run its bottom under warm water. Adding a probiotic, like yogurt, to your birds diet, is also recommended. . Maybe she ate something form where ever you picked her/him up from ? Most chicken keepers who add this acidic supplement to their hens diets only use a tiny bit at a time, which is enough to provide the extra level of wellness support theyre looking for. If prolapse is left untreated, over time it may stay the same or slowly get worse. She had a lot of frozen poop around her bum that needed to be thawed and loosened up. Do not exceed 16 hours light duration (better 15 hours). Please help! When the hen leaves her eggs or is replaced by artificial incubation, this rotation needs to be done manually or automated with a built-in turning function. Hard white crusting on dirty tail feathers. Minimally invasive (laparoscopic) or vaginal surgery might be an option. Prolapse. In many cases, vent prolapse can be prevented by providing the flock with access to proper nutrition and exercise. 3. As a chick continues to try to pass its excrement, it continues to build up and harden; thus the little chick becomes blocked and unable to pass stool. The roosters cloaca contains two tiny nipples (papillae) at the ends of the two ducts that transport semen from the roosters testes. Hmm. Customer: I noticed it earlier this afternoon, I thought it was pasty bum, I cleaned her up but she's obviously distressed and cheeping constantly, I also thought the vent could be . And gross. Hens are attracted to red colour, and this can leave them in a dreadful state. Down to earth and full of humor! But we have been getting a lot of rare things here lately. I avoid putting her in a warm bath, even though her bum was nasty because the warm water would have just relaxed her already weak muscles further and I didnt want to run the risk of the water flushing anything into her vent that might cause infection. I am happy to report, she was welcomed back with open wings by her sisters of the yard. Gather your materials: a paper towel, Q-tips, a portable heater or blow dryer, a bowl of warm water, and a bag for disposal of soiled items. Here are some articles that you may be interested in: Chicken Bloated And Lethargic, Dead Chick In Incubator, Lethargic Chicken With A Dirty Vent, Vent Gleet Or Egg Bound, Chicken Swollen Below Vent, if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[250,250],'crittercleanout_com-banner-2','ezslot_3',120,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-crittercleanout_com-banner-2-0');report this ad. Photo: The Happy Chicken Coop. This can help the oviduct to properly retract and also help pass future eggs. Prevention - Provide proper nutrition for your birds. Use an antifungal cream on the bird's vent after soaking and cleaning the bird, Canesten cream is safe to use on chickens. Bleeding from the vent is observed as a result of pecking. Prolapse can also occur if the hen is too young and underdeveloped to be laying eggs. Should I Make My Dog Throw Up After Eating Chicken Bones. 26. Poor nest box management which allows the hens to stay in the boxes longer than necessary can increase the risk of vent pecking behaviour. Be sure to place them in a brooder with the appropriate temperature, food, and water. There are circumstances where complications can arise, and the situation can become severe, but when . I checked a link with a picture of another chick with the same problem. it's nearly the same, but my chick's is not nearly as big. about one tablespoon per gallonTo use it for healthy chickens, chicken owners can simply add about one tablespoon per gallon in a coops waterer. Does anybody know what is wrong and what I should do? Sticky yellow whiteish paste-like discharge from vent. The most commonly referred course of home treatment is as follows: At this point, there is not much else you can do for your chick. Turkey breeds/genetics: Bourbon Red x Narragansett, Chicken Tales - My First Year (and more!). https://welcometochickenlandia.comGet your cool Chickenlandia MERCH! Vent prolapse prevention, treatment, and recovery. If temperature, humidity, rotation, and sanitation are all kept at optimal levels, you have a high likelihood of success in your future broods. This condition can happen if a bird tries to lay an egg and the egg brings the cloaca out with it. I am so sorry for your loss. P rolapse vent in chickens, also known as prolapsed oviduct, blow-out, cloacal prolapse, or pickout, "is a condition in which the lower part of a hen's oviduct turns inside out and protrudes through the vent."1 Prolapse is a very serious condition that can be treated if caught early, but is likely to recur. I don't know what it was or how it got there. Be sure to keep their conditions as sanitary as possible to reduce further risk of infection. Under $10, & 10 minutes! This is from MS University: Pullorum Disease. Clean Her Up. Keep the hen isolated for several days until she seems perkier and the vent area looks normal. And then my mind snapped in to place and before I even made it out to the yard, I knew Ester was in a bad way. The eggs should stay in a point of suspended animation until you are ready to incubate them. Whats a chicken vent & how to identify poultry mites. Supplement Vitamin C @ 1 g/l drinking water in morning hours. It's best to have someone hold the hen for you while you do this so you can have better control and be as slow and gentle as needed. What do you feed a chicken with a prolapsed vent? You do not want to keep your eggs almost incubating while waiting to go in the incubator as it will mess with the embryo. It looked like a piece of white chalk the size of a large pea. What you will learn from all these articles are two things (and this is in my own words).. First, a soft shelled eggs is harder to pass than a properly formed one. Even if the egg is not broken, the condition must be treated quickly. It should be small, pink, and moist. Many are hypothermic and require immediate warming. Provide plenty of space in the run for your hens to be able to exercise. Unbalanced feed rations can also increase the chance of prolapse. Crittercleanout.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. Copyright 2023 Thank Chickens |As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. The Mating Process If the hen likes the rooster and wants to mate, she bends for the rooster to mount her. LOL I have that effect on people sometimes. I hope it works. "The hen's uterus, where an egg's shell is formed, holds the egg tightly and prolapses or turns itself inside out to push the egg through the hen's vent and . Isolate the recovering hen from the rest of the flock (which might be tempted toward cannibalism). Fat or obese chickens. Be sure to adjust the brooding temperature as the young fowl get older. Isolate the recovering hen from the rest of the flock (which might be tempted toward cannibalism). Sticky yellow whiteish paste-like discharge from vent. #chickenlandia #welcometochickenlandia #backyardchickensNeed more? UPDATE on baby chickafter 2 hours or so of chick laboring to poop, I checked it again. I hate when I am right about something bad, and sure as shit, there was Ester with her butt hanging out. Common causes of the prolapse: Calcium deficiency can cause eggs to break or have rough shells. Forcing fecal matter out, because the bird is constipated, can also cause a prolapsed vent. Be gentle; it is very easy to pull off feathers and skin if you are not patient and gentle. In baby chicks, pasty butt (a.k.a. A prolapsed vent develops when the birds cloaca becomes inverted, pushes outside of the birds body, and can be seen from outside. I read this whole article and I don't even have chickens. Upon closer inspection, the hen had a prolapse vent with an egg stuck, or bound. If the bird has already been picked at by other birds, tissue may be missing, leaving a bloody gaping hole. Rooster testicles vary in size based on their age and time of year. A change in your bird is a sign that there is something going on with your bird. Every time a hen lays an egg she pushes out the inner lining of the vent slightly; in 99% of cases this shiny red protruding flesh immediately pulls back inside the hen, in a small number of cases it doesnt, resulting in a prolapse. The vent is the orifice from which chickens pass bodily waste and from which hens pass eggs. I like your, I found it interesting when you explained how you'd bond with your pet snake and improve recognition. Roosters have reproductive organs not unlike mammals, with testes that produce sperm. If youve recently been through the gamut of diagnosing, treating, and possibly culling a young chick with its intestines out, youre likely asking yourself how you can avoid this in your future broods. Can You Have Food Poisoning Without Vomiting? We use cookies to give you the best possible experience on our website. Symptoms. These include unabsorbed yolk, navel infections, gastroschisis, and overall failure of the chick to thrive. I had 2 chicksboth rumpless Araucanas. In the interim, its important to keep the hen hydrated and well fed and the vent area kept clean and free from infection. While she could have all the water she wanted, I didnt want her trying to have a bowl movement until things were back in place. Well since we dont light our coop and she is four years old, I am assuming it was either due to an egg misfire (soft shelled egg) that I have been unable to locate, or she is just aging and had a difficult time pushing one out. I am so happy you are excited about winning one of our giveaways. Do farm fresh eggs need to be refrigerated? I am The President of Chickenlandia and I want to welcome you to Chickenlandia, a magical place where my pet chickens (and a few ducks) live an awesom. It was fine until this morning. The (mis)Adventures of a Homesteadin Mama. *deep breath* So I scrubbed up, gathered my courage, used my fingers, and stuffed her butt gently back inside her. It was traumatic. we are also trying to live on a disability income and I know money for a vet is not in the picture. Prolapsed vent won't stay in, & she's struggling to poop. How Many Days Can a Chicken Go Without Laying an Egg? The egg was on the outside of her body, but her insides were still wrapped around it. Wash the protruding mass with warm water and a gentle antiseptic. Well, sending eggs to someone else to hatch is a good idea. you want some eggs? I oiled the inside of the vent with mineral oil and the next time she bore down I pulled on the item. What is a prolapsed vent? It is not bleeding and other chicks are fine and not picking at the chick. *smacks forehead* I hope no one ever needs this info but if they do, then I did my part to help inform others. Avoid adding light to the coop at all, but at least until young birds have been laying for a month or two. 80-90* is darn near incubation temps. 3. Surgery. It is most commonly seen in hens. Also known as the Cloaca. By continuing to use this site you consent to the use of cookies on your device as described in our cookie policy unless you have disabled them. This is very painful and dangerous to birds . "Another rare but possible health issue for laying ducks is prolapse. It can be a disturbing process, but just remember you are putting an end to your chicks suffering. No prolapse!!!! Other symptoms of poor flock management that can result in chicken diarrhea include . It doesn't always work, when you fix a prolapse, but I wasn't about to give up trying. Egg yolk peritonitis is a fatal condition that affects any species of birds. How Often Should You Take Your Bearded Dragon Out Of Its Cage? Thank yo. I've had hatching problems, such as pipped chicks dying and some dead in the un-pipped egg, and a few that hatched with an unabsorbed yolk that didn't make it. the last time I incubated eggs. Take my course Chicken Keeping 101 - A Chicken Course for EVERYONE: https://course.welcometochickenlandia.com/Check out my TEDX Talk \"I Dream of Chickens\": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1xkNl_WpOxQ\u0026t=320sVideos Mentioned:Sick Chicken Action Plan (REST Method): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z110OFNF6zY\u0026t=30sChicken First Aid Kit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NHvNrCnCS_c\u0026t=8sHeavy Duty Aviary Netting: https://amzn.to/3Fzqa68As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases through the link above. I'm so glad you were able to help your chicken to get better and that she has lived to lay another day!! @Elise, yes I'm pretty sure that's normal I'm no professional and have not had one yet but I just have, My friend is considering adopting a unique pet he could showcase to his guests when they visit. The 2nd chick to hatch seems to be perfectly healthy, walking all over the incubator and cheeping constantly. 24. As chickens age, their bodies, much like ours, being to weaken in certain areas. But what I have learned being around critters is, you do what you can, in the best way you can, and try not to cause any more harm to them then they are already in. Vent prolapse is.. there are just no words. Lubricate it with medicated Vaseline or mastitis ointment. Rooster Testicles Theyve got two bean-shaped testes located against their backbone in front of the kidneys. Loved the part about your husband's embarrassment my husband doesn't have that gene he once purchased a large bottle of mouthwash and a packet of condoms (just those two items!). I know there are times when that is the only compassionate thing to do. Start off by isolating the bird, this will keep other birds from pecking at the sick birds vent and will calm the bird. Is there anything I can do? The 2nd chick to hatch seems to be perfectly healthy, walking all over the incubator and cheeping constantly. Linda @Crafts a la mode. or the outside temperature. Being informed is one of the best ways you can help your newly hatched chick. How much apple cider vinegar should I put in chickens water? But, let me say this, if you think that was bad have you ever had a cow prolapse? A prolapse of the cloaca occurs when the inner tissue protrudes through the vent opening, resulting in exposed intestines, cloaca, or uterus. It may not display this or other websites correctly. What To Put In A Chicken Run To Keep Them Happy? Incorrect brooder temperature is also another scenario that can lead to pasting. ), You will need super glue, rubbing alcohol, Q-tip, and antibacterial soap, Begin by washing your hands with antibacterial soap and warm water for at least one minute, Using the rubbing alcohol, sterilize the surface you will be working on as well as possible, Carefully holding the chick in one hand, gently turn it over and swab around the navel with rubbing alcohol, Use the Q-tip to push intestines back inside the abdomen gently, Use a small drop of super glue to seal the cavity shut, Place chick in brooder separated from other chicks while healing. As I sat there in the bathroom, with Ester upside down, wishing like heck that gravity would help her suck it all back in, I knew in my heart, this wasnt going to happens. When the birds become uncomfortably hot they can become extremely cannibalistic. Umbilical hernias can arise spontaneously or due to an assisted hatch resulting in trauma to the umbilical cord. What time of year do chickens lay the most eggs? The vent is located underneath the chicks tail feathers, and the navel is above it (depending on which angle youre viewing) on the belly. I then called a blogging buddy who has a bunch of chickens and she had never had this happens. Bullying could be the problem. Please do your own research and make your own informed decisions regarding the health of your chickens. Henlo! You can do this by keeping the hen in the dark for 16 hours a day. It took me a few minutes to get all of her inners back inside, and while you could still see them when the vent pulsated, I was delighted with the results. One had a large hard lump just inside the anus. As such, they should be kept cool, but not cold. A prolapse most frequently occurs from a chicks vent. Brood young fowl at 95F. I had been watching my chicks for pasty buttso that was NOT it. Giving the bird an apple cider . There are methods that may be used both at home and by a veterinarian that can increase your chicks likelihood of viability, but their margins of success are narrow.