General inquiries as a new chick owner

[Graymancan]

I picked up some week old chicks from tractor supply after doing a bunch of research and I'm realizing that I'm still at the bottom of the learning curve. I have one chick in particular that's very fond of me, but I had to clean poop off of her bottom today and I don't know if that will ruin the relationship.

Do I need to clean the poops that are stuck to their backside if it isn't blocking them, or is it better to be proactive before it turns to pasty butt?

I bought a feeder for them, but they prefer to kick the pine shavings around and eat the food from the floor of the brooder. They will eat from the feeder some, but is it normal for them to scratch for their food when they're so young? And should I throw down extra feed onto their litter if I'm changing the litter regularly?

 

[21hens-incharge]

Yes clean the bottoms as needed to keep it from building up. If it's got poop on it at all a quick cleaning is in order.
No it won't ruin the relationship.

Yes the scratching is 100% normal.
Things that help keep the feeder clear of bedding...
Raise the feeder so it is about even with the bottom of their necks. Hanging it if possible or placing it on blocks of wood or bricks is effective.
They will scratch every bit of it into the shavings which is exceptionally wasteful.
I set my feeders in old cookie sheets that way what is scratched out is not also buried.

A pic of my old small 2'x4' brooder with sheet pan in place. This was for some very messy ducks. For chicks I skip the wood grid holding up 1/4" hardware cloth. Chicks don't need that at all.

 

[RubelliteRose]

Yes clean the bottoms as needed to keep it from building up. If it's got poop on it at all a quick cleaning is in order.
No it won't ruin the relationship.

Yes the scratching is 100% normal.
Things that help keep the feeder clear of bedding...
Raise the feeder so it is about even with the bottom of their necks. Hanging it if possible or placing it on blocks of wood or bricks is effective.
They will scratch every bit of it into the shavings which is exceptionally wasteful.
I set my feeders in old cookie sheets that way what is scratched out is not also buried.

A pic of my old small 2'x4' brooder with sheet pan in place. This was for some very messy ducks. For chicks I skip the wood grid holding up 1/4" hardware cloth. Chicks don't need that at all.

View attachment 3520784

Love your food and water set up! We set ours on 12x12 stepping stones, but I like your idea better

 

[mossyoakpro]

Welcome to BYC!!! I'm fairly new myself and this forum was a HUGE help to me when I started!! What I found was using those large medical Q-tips on their bottoms worked best for me. I would get warm water in a dish and soak those in the water to get them good and wet then get the poop off. If you apply a small dab of vaseline below the vent that may help...it did with my frequent offenders anyway. All 13 of mine are thriving and doing well as of today so I must have done something right!! LOL

 

[WingsysRoost]

I definitely second raising the food and water up. When mine were little, they were experts at dumping their bedding into their water and dumping out or tipping their food container in no time at all. My brooder had plywood fastened across the corner as a shelf to put the food and water on so that wouldn't happen as quickly, but there are a number of other ways as well.

The scratching is definitely 100% normal. That's how they forage for food. I've had chickens try to scratch even when they were in a recovery cage (because they had a health issue). It's a very strong instinct for them!

Yes, the poop does need to be cleaned. I had a chick that was struggling slightly when she was very young, and she ended up needing an actual bath several times. It didn't ruin her relationship with us at all. In fact, I would say that she is probably the most used to people out of all of my chickens!

 

[Graymancan]

Yes clean the bottoms as needed to keep it from building up. If it's got poop on it at all a quick cleaning is in order.
No it won't ruin the relationship.

Yes the scratching is 100% normal.
Things that help keep the feeder clear of bedding...
Raise the feeder so it is about even with the bottom of their necks. Hanging it if possible or placing it on blocks of wood or bricks is effective.
They will scratch every bit of it into the shavings which is exceptionally wasteful.
I set my feeders in old cookie sheets that way what is scratched out is not also buried.

A pic of my old small 2'x4' brooder with sheet pan in place. This was for some very messy ducks. For chicks I skip the wood grid holding up 1/4" hardware cloth. Chicks don't need that at all.

View attachment 3520784

I'm going to fix my setup now haha. I like how you're is setup. I had it elevated in a plate, but it still wasn't high enough. Thanks

 

[Graymancan]

Welcome to BYC!!! I'm fairly new myself and this forum was a HUGE help to me when I started!! What I found was using those large medical Q-tips on their bottoms worked best for me. I would get warm water in a dish and soak those in the water to get them good and wet then get the poop off. If you apply a small dab of vaseline below the vent that may help...it did with my frequent offenders anyway. All 13 of mine are thriving and doing well as of today so I must have done something right!! LOL

I've cleaned one of the smaller ones and it hasn't happened again, and another one was perfect clean yesterday, but this morning had a whole poop hardened right below the vent. It took a while because it was stuck pretty good and I really had to hold it there to soften it for a while

 

[Graymancan]

I definitely second raising the food and water up. When mine were little, they were experts at dumping their bedding into their water and dumping out or tipping their food container in no time at all. My brooder had plywood fastened across the corner as a shelf to put the food and water on so that wouldn't happen as quickly, but there are a number of other ways as well.

The scratching is definitely 100% normal. That's how they forage for food. I've had chickens try to scratch even when they were in a recovery cage (because they had a health issue). It's a very strong instinct for them!

Yes, the poop does need to be cleaned. I had a chick that was struggling slightly when she was very young, and she ended up needing an actual bath several times. It didn't ruin her relationship with us at all. In fact, I would say that she is probably the most used to people out of all of my chickens!

I was worried she'd be scared of me afterwards, but an hour later I put my hand down in the brooder and she jumped up on my hand like she's been doing.

 

[BastyPutt]

I was worried she'd be scared of me afterwards, but an hour later I put my hand down in the brooder and she jumped up on my hand like she's been doing.

One way to eliminate pasty butt is to feed a small amount of fermented feed daily. Usually 1/2 cup or so.

To ferment their feed on this scale, get a mason jar and put about 2 cups of feed in there, then cover it with water. Stir it up for a few days and add water as needed. Crumble will absorb a lot of water. You'll start smell the feed getting sour and bubbling, this means you are ready to go. Use some kind of straining spoon and scoop it into a small dish. They will love it.

 

[21hens-incharge]

I've cleaned one of the smaller ones and it hasn't happened again, and another one was perfect clean yesterday, but this morning had a whole poop hardened right below the vent. It took a while because it was stuck pretty good and I really had to hold it there to soften it for a while

For those I use a wet (wet not just damp) paper towel.

I don't think fermented feed helps with pasty butt. To me there is way to.much risk of bad bacteria growing.