How do you treat pasty butt in chicks?!?!

[aroostercalledBrownie]

Help! baby chick has gotten pasty butt. Is there a way I can fix this?

 

[hysop]

Warm water, gloves, paper towel

Dip paper towel in warm water, and gently rub it off. It’s caused by stress so the only way to prevent is by not stressing out the chicks, but if you bought them from somewhere the moving and shipping and new environment is going to be stressful no matter what.

 

[pozees2]

Soften with warm water and remove. Some folks have been able to avoid further problems by applying a dab of mineral or baby oil to the feathers around the butts of the chicks affected; adding a teaspoon of molasses or a bit of sugar or some chick vitamins to the drinking water for a few days often helps avoid recurrence. @hysop is correct that this is almost always the result of stress. It is rare, though not unheard of, to have pasty butt in chicks hatched and raised at home, but anytime a chick has to be shipped or transported, they are more vulnerable to pasty butt. Check on them daily so the condition doesn't get out of hand, it can be fatal if allowed to progress unchecked.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

Help! baby chick has gotten pasty butt. Is there a way I can fix this?

View attachment 2039322

Just clean it up... I use warm running water and a hint of dish soap.. pinching with my fingers. Gloves cost $ and fill dumps.. but if it makes you more comfortable, then by all mean use one.

After hatching and broody hatching hundreds of chicks.. I don't truly believe it's cause by stress... but rather there can be so many causes including stress, heat, cold, dietary, or maybe even just lazy chicks.

Do NOT administer molasses into chick water... as it can cause diarrhea. Chick vitamins are okay for a boost but have little effect on pasty butt in my experience. Poultry nutri drench is a superior product to most of those packets. Also offering a little scrambled egg as treat or boost (not often) can help.

Some folks and one hatchery suggest adding a hint of raw apple cider vinegar to the water can increase probiotics to help chicks get gut flora on track. NO supplement should be given more than 10 days in a row unless vet recommended.

Usually one good cleaning is enough. But keep your eyes open and repeat if needed.

Hope your chicks are thriving!

 

[GC-Raptor]

I use a Gallon water container that I cut. . I fill half way with warm water. I hold chick in hand with bum facing outward and dip into water for a couple of minutes and pinch the poo while gently removing.
If poo is still hard I soak for another minute.
When clean I dry with a paper towel.
I also use Poultry Nutri-Drench for the first 10 days. GC

 

[jjaazzy]

eggcited gave you some great information as well as the others but I hatch out 70 - 90 birds at a time, and sometimes they get the poop butt sometimes not, sometimes a one time occurance and other times it continues. I too get tempid water running at low stream from sink and just hold chick so that just it's butt is under the stream. I squish (Technical term) the hardened poop till it breaks up and starts to just wash away. Once it is all cleaned up I blot with a dry paper towel moving to a dry spot and keep blotting. Then return the chick to the brooder they dry quickly.
One thing I have tried to do when providing water to newly hatch chicks is, I started keeping a bottle of water, tap water is fine. so that it is room temperature. Water in the winter comes out of the tap pretty darn cold. So having water that has been sitting at room temp I think helps. I also put the little ramekin of water half under the heat plate thing that they use for warmth. This also brings that temp up so it's not such a shock on their system. It's hard to not keep putting our comfort levels in mind with these chicks and not what they want. You have to put on your chicken brain, think like a chicken be a chicken.

 

[hysop]

Wow I’m learning some eco friendly ways of cleaning up pasty butt! Will have to try em out from now on.

 

[MGG]

A bit of ACV in the water cleared up overnight almost 20 guinea pasty butts! I'm a firm believer in that stuff! I no longer had to wash a bunch of rears every few hours! you got some good advice from everyone else too

 

[Lelanae]

A bit of ACV in the water cleared up overnight almost 20 guinea pasty butts! I'm a firm believer in that stuff! I no longer had to wash a bunch of rears every few hours! you got some good advice from everyone else too

How much ACV to how much water?

 

[MGG]

@Miss Lydia how much? I have a quart waterer and put in maybe a half teaspoon of so