Is there a laxative for chickens?

I can't believe I asked it either, but here is the story.

I came home from the poultry show and found one of my new chicks dead. I could not figure out what had happened and chalked it up to mother nature. Then a few minutes later when feeding I saw another chick with a very wet bottom. Upon further inspection, his/her belly was also completely soaked with a liquid that smelled like poop. I also noticed its vent was extremely swollen. While examining closer (won't go into the details) the vent opened a little and I saw compacted poop. It has the consistency of ground chick food and water enough to make it clump. I removed about a half a teaspoon of poop and cleaned it's bottom and belly. It stood like it was not doing well and I went back and checked just a minute ago and its vent was swollen again. I again preformed a baby chick enema and removed again about a half a teaspoon of compacted poop. Cleaned again and dried and returned to the brooder.

I thought I would never ask, but is there a laxative for chickens? (I am actually laughing to myself as I type this). I know it is not funny, but back to business. Can you give them oil? I know mineral oil in children works.

Any suggestions?

Sheila

Are you feeding them egg yolks i read on a site they can cause constipation if over feed.

for a chick i'm not sure other than mabe us a touch of cooking oil to put on vent to make it slippy but i know if u feed something oily to a hen with a stuck egg it is to help coat it to realease it to allow it to be laid.

Oh Sheila, poor little things - how sad for them. I once had a dwarf hamster named Reno that died of constipation. It was a terrible way to go. I gave olive oil to my chicken with the sour crop and it helped her poo out some really nasty stuff and then she was right as rain. I do think it helped....

Okay I continued the chicken enemas til 2 this morning. Totally expecting the chick to be dead, I got up and founf he still alive. He is still alive, but seems that he was only able to pass liquid all night. I just gave another enema and a drop of olive oil. I will let it rest and then maybe another drop in an hour or two.

Sheila

P.S. I am just feeding him chick starter, so no egg yolks. Thanks for all of your help!

wondering if a bit of watermelen might not be a good thing.. followed with a bit of yogart.. for the cultures to replace the runs the chick will get because of the melon.

Good thought frans. I was wondering the same thing.

Good luck with your chicks this morning Sheila!

I use molasses. Put 2 ounces in apint of hot water to melt, then mix with a gallon of water. I hope this helps.

I'm 66 years old and now I can die knowing that I have heard the Ideas in Gods world. But do you know where I can get my hens teeth cleaned?

Please be careful with the molasses i use that as a flush when my birds eat something toxic to clean thier system to much and it cause severe diahrea.

?? chickens don't have teeth.

There is and old saying "Scarce as Hens Teeth" LOL

if u mean the funky looking breathe hole on the top of the roof of the mouth(lol, sorry can't remember the tech name), use a q-tip dipped in clear non stinging iodine. when the pieces, food or gunk come out use a dry one so it sticks to it to come out the rest of the way. lol, i had to think on that to try to figure out what u meant, i believe that is the part u r talking about. ya have to be careful though the breathe hole is in the middle up inside the 2 jagged rows(the plates of the roof of the mouth?).
hope that helps.

Researchers have been able to turn on genes in Silkie chickens that cause teeth to form in the embryos' jaws.

Where is that Velociraptor thread?

well i'll be darned, ya learn something new every day,lol.

http://www.livescience.com/animals/060222_chicken_teeth.html

It really sounds like there is a malformation of the digestive tract and the food is not being properly digested befor getting into the intestines. It will form a blockage and then as it builds up behind it the liquids will pass by it. As pressure builds it will push it through the intestine and try to expell it. If this is so, it probably will not improve. Is the chick smaller than the others? If there is malformation, then it will not thrive as the others.

Try a few drops of karo dark corn syrup, you can use an eyedropper or mix it with her feed. It is milder than the molasses and will loosten the stool if it is simple constipation. I toss a little "sweet feed" (grains mixed with a bit of molasses) in the chicken run a couple of times a week. It gives them something to scratch for and is a bit of nutritional boost. Nobody gets enough of it at one time to give them problems.

Jylgaskin- Great call and diagnosis. The chick is much smaller than the others. And I am sad to report that today it died. I was continuing with all of the processes and it seemed to clear after a treatment and then build back up and it just finally gave up. I guess it was God's will.

Sheila

wth? birds with teeth? I thought I had heard it all! Did I step into the twilight zone??
~music♪♫

Sorry to hear about your lost chick, Sheila. Always a difficult thing to experience, but with all those eggs in the bator (although you don't have as many as you wanted) I guess you will still have a nice assortment of new chicks soon.

Sheila--I am sorry to hear you lost your chick too. It is so poignant when you try so hard to save them--but the situation is not salvageable.

Music--didn't anyone warn you about this forum? Maybe we should have a "sticky" DISTURBING CONTENT warning at the top of the threads?:0)

Yes = should have put the warning up. Chicken enemas are not necessarily beautiful reading.

Sheila