An easy way to clear up pasty butt fast is to just put about a teaspoon of raw apple cider vinegar in the waterer. A common brand is Bragg's. (1 teaspoon per quart) Once you get the chick butt cleaned off apply a little olive oil around the area to help prevent further buildup.
Totally agree re the ACV. Many people have found that it does indeed work wonders on chicks with pasty butt. However, as you stated, people do need to understand there is a big difference between distilled acv in the salad oil section of the super market and the raw, unfiltered, unpasteurized acv found in the health food section.
Not trying to start anything but while that it is true that pastuerized ACV is acidic and will strip the gut of beneficial bacteria the opposite is true of raw unfiltered ACV with the "mother" in it. Because it is fermented it contains the benificial flora and will help to colonize the gut properly and aides in maintaining the correct PH. And it does this without introducing dairy products to chicks, they are not mammals and therefore are not born with the enzymes needed to properly digest dairy. The only exception to the adding of the raw ACV is in extreme heat when the excess drinking of ACV water can possibly inhibit calcium absorption, but this is more an issue with laying hens than chicks.
