Excited to get my first chicks!

[JanetRN1]

I can do that, too!
I think I have all the supplies ready.
Good gracious, what is pasty butt and how do I avoid it? Doesn’t sound good

 

[DobieLover]

Good gracious, what is pasty butt and how do I avoid it?

It is a potentially deadly condition in chicks that is caused by stress, usually overheating stress, such that their poop crusts up on their vent blocking it shut. When they are brooded outside in ambient temperatures with lots of ventilation and fresh air and just a brooder plate for a heat source, which much more closely replicates a hen, the instances of pasty butt are pretty much eliminated.

 

[HowIsItDone]

When they are brooded outside in ambient temperatures with lots of ventilation and fresh air and just a brooder plate for a heat source, which much more closely replicates a hen, the instances of pasty butt are pretty much eliminated.

My friend's chickens hatched some birds this year, and they all lived.
She wasn't out there checking their butts.

 

[HowIsItDone]

I can do that, too!
I think I have all the supplies ready.
Good gracious, what is pasty butt and how do I avoid it? Doesn’t sound good

It's when a wet poo dries on the vent, which prevents them from pooing.

About 6 minutes.

 

[Debbie292d]

Hiya, and welcome to BYC!

I do like @Tookie and start them out indoors. I keep them in about two weeks, to keep an eye on them. It also depends on the time of year, as they have to be a few weeks old before they can go out in a grow-out pen. We use flat panel radiant heaters in those (Cozy Coop) if it's too cold for them.

Right now, one about 10 days old is inside in the brooder indefinitely as it has had a pasty butt twice, raised outdoors by two hens. Their other five are fine, so this one's just got issues, and I have to keep a better watch on it.

 

[Nomadicus]

Hello and Welcome to Backyard Chickens. Glad to have you in this fun and poultry loving community.

 

[TwoCrows]

Hello and welcome to BYC!

Congrats on your soon to be new chicks! Pasty butt is caused by a lot of things from environmental temps (too warm, too cold) stress, shipping, dehydration, and health of the chick itself, food, etc...Pasty butt can happen to indoor or outdoor brooder chicks along with broody mommas. So its always best to check vents regularly until they are several weeks old.

If you have any questions about your babies before they arrive or along the way, be sure to ask.

Welcome to our community!

 

[muddy75]

 

[Kenneth Zweerink]

Welcome to BackYard Chickens, And a Big Hello from Eastern Nebraska! The Best of Luck with your Chicks when they arrive.

 

[sourland]

Welcome to BYC, and good luck in establishing your flock.