Help! Pasty Butt

[threehorses]

Actually, where the irritation of pasty butt causes a reddening of the skin, there can be fissures caused by the inflammation and the irritation. And often are. I've seen a number of pasty bottoms where the skin was irritated to this point!

Have you ever applied peroxide to a similar situation on your own skin? I have. It hurt like mad and burned. There were no open wounds. However, there was enough irritation to cause pain where the (non-visable) fissures in the skin were.

I'd be quite careful to accuse of false information.

 

[threehorses]

Incidentally, NotTheMomma, I was not attacking your post and would rather not have mine attacked. I simply too dryly stated what I still feel to be absolute truth. I meant to cause no personal attack on the credibility of your post. I'd like the same in return, please.

To everyone else: Again, there are a million things with which to clean the area. There are some great ideas here. The important thing is to clean it but then determine the cause so that the area doesn't become increasingly irritated.

Good luck with your bird. I hope today brought some good results for you.

 

[loralei]

I feel its important to remember that what works for one person/chick may not work for another as there may be different causes for things but as a new chick mom I am so grateful to have this forum! I have felt so helpless at times and its because of the support and encouragement I have had from you folks out there that I and my little chickies have gotten through the past few days! So thank you to you all!

 

[bigzio]

loralei...

I'm glad you are having fun learning here....I can only add to this thread that keep in mind that the pasty butts is only temporary after the stress of shipping and should improve on a daily basis....enjoy the peeps, and keep it nothing but fun for you and the new flock.....

~ bigzio

 

[bails g]

I received my chick from McMurry that are 3 weeks old and I have 2 that had it bad, one was so "backed up" I ended up cleanin her out with a bobby pin and olive oil, it as so compacted, Im surprised she did not die. Olive oil worked great, and I hard boiled an egg and gave them yogurt for a week, also added some cider vinegar too in the water. I wipe the two butts mornin and nite, it is SLOWLY clearning up. Hang in there, hopefuly it will get better. I also found that letting them roam in a bigger area helped them. I had them in the brooder for about 2 weeks. It seems maybe the excercise and moving around helps keep things moving.... Good Luck!!! Feelin ur pain.

 

[bawkbawkbawk]

I just posted a separate thread asking about this problem but no responses yet.

If I go get some active yogurt culture I don't need to give them grit, right?

Am puzzled about the molasses suggestion - isn't sugar part of the problem of pasty butt?

Lastly, if I just grind up their starter crumbles, this could actually solve the whole problem????

Mystified.

And worried about my babies.

 

[threehorses]

If you get some plain yogurt, there's no grit needed yet. Grit is for things that aren't readily dissolved (like grains, greens, etc).

On the yogurt, you'll just mix 1/2 teaspoon in a 1/2 cup of food. It doesn' t need to be exact. You can even do a whole teaspoon. Mixing that with their crumbles moistens them a little without exposing them to plain yogurt which quite a few birds don't like the straight texture of it.

Honestly, I like making a Glop of crumbles, a little egg yolk (freeze the rest for later use), a small dollop of yogurt, and water. I make it to where it's only slightly moist depending on what they like. If they're weak birds, I might mix pedialyte or vitamin/electrolyte treated water. If I'm trying to improve their digestion, I might even use non-sweetened applesauce for older birds. They love the taste and apple pectin is a brilliant PRE-biotic. (Prebiotics nourish the beneficial living bacteria in a gut, encouraging their growth and spread and vigor. Probiotics ARE composed of beneficial living bacteria meant to colonize the gut to nourish and protect a bird. Antibiotics are, of course, chemicals used to kill bacteria - good and bad.)

Birds can have a little of the yogurt, although normally slightly lactose sensitive, because the good living bacteria that are injected back into yogurt after its pasteurization continue to process the lactose. So we can give them some, just not loads all the time. I just think of it in terms of what a cup of yogurt to us would be if we were their size. That's how I gauge it.

So what's going on with your bird?

 

[bawkbawkbawk]

Thank you, Threehorses.

I worked on the two little rears in question - definitely unblocked the Buff Orpington who later had a massive poo. Waiting for the Light Brahma chick to poo seems to be like waiting for water to boil. Never did I think I would spend almost half an hour staring at a chick's butt, but that's what I've been doing.

They are all active, eating and drinking, running around, so there's no suggestion of weakness or infirmity.

I changed their drinking water and didn't put any electrolytes in it this time. Will see if that changes anything.

The recipe sounds awesome. I'll mix up a batch of that for them!

 

[threehorses]

I had to laugh at the fine art of chicken tush watching.

Been there, done that.

I'm glad to hear that they're all doing better. I hope they continue to do so, and really I think they will.

 

[raylor]

It was mentioned a few times that the pasty butt will get better as time goes by. Does that mean it will just go away and they will be fine with no action taken, or just that it will stop happening as they get older?
If they do better with ground up feed, why doesn't it come that way? I assumed "chick starter" would be formulated for their needs.
Thanks