Pasty Butt Remedy... this works!

[Chickiee]

I don't know who it was on this forum who recommended Vaseline for pasty butt awhile ago, but it works FANTASTIC! After cleaning the pasty butt with a little warm water to soften it off, I patted the area dry and, with a Q-tip, applied a little bit of Vaseline/petroleum jelly on the chick's vent. Not too much where it was gooey, but enough so the poop wouldn't stick. I did this on four of my chicks and have not had one unresolved pasty butt since! If there was a little poop on the chick's fluff, I tried to get it off, but didn't worry about it too much... I just made sure that the vent was not blocked. I did reapply the following day to vents as a precaution. I'm hoping by sharing this wonderful tidbit of info again that some little chick's butt will be saved. Again, giving credit where credit is due, thank you to the kind BYC member who originally suggested this!!

 

[BuffOrpington88]

Great idea! Thanks for sharing!

 

[SweetSilver]

I'll try that on our little chick before her name "Poopy Butt" sticks with her forever.

 

[SkyeSchazade]

Olive oil is another really great option, while it dosent seem to last quite as long I am less worried about the chicks accidentally ingesting it.

 

[felidaet]

I have also read here on BYC in many threads that a little bit of Apple Cider Vinegar in the water is a great preventative. Make sure you use the type that has not been distilled. It needs to have the "mother" in the bottom of the bottle. I have not done this in the past but will be this year when I get my chicks (Just over a week from now!). I also started adding it to my flock of adult birds water a couple of weeks ago. You can find lots of information about this on other threads.

 

[kelliepulido]

well I was told to put pop corn kernels in the coffee grinder and feed some of that everday with some chick grit it has worked better than the vasiline oil route for me and they love it

 

[Chickiee]

I have read about the Apple Cider Vinegar (with the "mother" in it) too and have it in my house for other uses (i.e. sore throats, etc.). It's wonderful stuff. That was actually going to be my next step, but I know how it tastes and I was avoiding it a bit for my chicks. I also read that olive oil works similarly to the vaseline idea, but was so pleased with the vaseline so didn't have to look farther. I guess it's whatever you have in your house... this was so crazy easy. I just checked on the chicks again tonight and still no pasty butt! SO happy about this!!

 

[SweetSilver]

It seems to be working! But, unfortunately for her the name is stuck even though the poo isn't. I named her "Poopsie" only to find my 7yo named her "Cooper". So, "Poopsie Cooper" it is, unless she's a roo (straight run) and then he'll be "Poopy Cooper", which sounds more masculine to me, if not actually more dignified.

Thanks for the tip, this was driving me batty!

Now, when can I stop, or will I be buying Vaseline by the gallon?

 

[Chickiee]

LOL... You're too cute with Poopsie! I only applied maybe twice on a couple of them and 3 times on another 2. It seems to last a bit and doesn't need to be reapplied constantly. I believe when they're a couple weeks old, they grow out of it. I have heard from someone that it stops when their muscles in the back half get a little stronger, but I'm not a vet so we'll see. They do grow so fast! Good luck and enjoy your chicks!

 

[janjan1]

Pasty butts can happen overnite. I look at my babies daily, and checked the butts yesterday. But didn’t look this morning like I usually do, and one developed pasty butt. I didn’t find it until this afternoon AFTER it had died. Quick, and I feel bad that I didn’t find it earlier. So now, I am applying Vaseline on little bottoms