Chick with pasty butt

[MoldyBread]

I got some chicks from TCS 2 days ago for my broody hen and failed to notice one of them had a poopy butt upon arrival . I've wiped it with warm water and applied a little olive oil to it. She's eating a little and drinking but she seems very sleepy. Is there anything else I could do to help her?

 

[Debbie292d]

Did you get it off?

Whenever I've had couple getting pasty butt, I give them Hydro-Hen water (probiotics and electrolytes). The usual cause of it is from getting too hot. Even though chicks can get away from the heat, when they're only a day or two old, they don't move or don't move far enough.

Chicks sleep a lot their first week so I wouldn't necessarily think there's anything wrong.

 

[MoldyBread]

oh alright thats good to know lol. also yes i cleaned it

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Good job! I've learned to check my chicks every evening. If they even have a few sticky feathers back there, I take them to the bathroom sink, turn on warm water, wet my fingers, and wet the feathers and rub them till they're completely clean. If I don't, the chick's poop will stick to those stiff feathers and by the next night its little bum willl be clogged. Better to nip it in the bud, so to speak.

@Debbie292d is correct when she says overheating seems to be a major factor in pasty butt. Chicks will huddle together to keep warm, so I've pulled back on the common practice of keeping their brooder at 90°F their first week and reducing the temp by 5° every week. I don't keep them quite that warm. As long as they're chirping quietly and either resting peacefully or moving about freely most of the time, and neither shivering and screaming in distress (cold) nor panting or standing with wings out and looking lethargic (too hot), I figure they're fine. Be sure the brooder has a cool zone they can move into if they get too warm. I usually keep their feed and water in the cool side, so they learn to go over there if they get too warm.

 

[MoldyBread]

Good job! I've learned to check my chicks every evening. If they even have a few sticky feathers back there, I take them to the bathroom sink, turn on warm water, wet my fingers, and wet the feathers and rub them till they're completely clean. If I don't, the chick's poop will stick to those stiff feathers and by the next night its little bum willl be clogged. Better to nip it in the bud, so to speak.

@Debbie292d is correct when she says overheating seems to be a major factor in pasty butt. Chicks will huddle together to keep warm, so I've pulled back on the common practice of keeping their brooder at 90°F their first week and reducing the temp by 5° every week. I don't keep them quite that warm. As long as they're chirping quietly and either resting peacefully or moving about freely most of the time, and neither shivering and screaming in distress (cold) nor panting or standing with wings out and looking lethargic (too hot), I figure they're fine. Be sure the brooder has a cool zone they can move into if they get too warm. I usually keep their feed and water in the cool side, so they learn to go over there if they get too warm.

thanks I'll keep an eye out for it and make sure to clean them, this is my first time taking care of chicks so i didn't know about pasty butt until today.