Pasty butt?? Need some advice.

[nharbison0722]

Hi BYC Family!
While I am not new to the BYC forum, I have been away for about a year or so. I had a nice flock of chicks that I re-homed to a local farm that is in my family. I was in the process of getting engaged and didn't feel like I had the time to devote to my girls, so I did what I thought was best for them.
Fast forward a bit, and I am now brooding a new batch of chicks. One of them might have pasty butt, and since I have never experienced that before, I thought I would seek out the help of all you wonderful people!
Here is a picture of the two-day-old little chick. She is a Croad Langshan.

You might have to look really close to see what I am talking about. There is some semi-soft poo attached to her bum. Is this pasty-butt? If so, what's my best course of action? I've read lot's of different ways to help, but I wanted to know the BEST way. One of the things I haven't started to do is to add ACV to their water yet. (I always did that with my past chicks) I did add some "Save-A-Chick" to their water yesterday after bringing them home, trying to help with the stress. It was an eventful day, as I thought I was all set-up and ready to go, yet when I got home my heat lamp quit working and I had to keep them in the box (a good sized box) and put them in the bathroom with the heater on to maintain a warm temp while I ran back to the TSC to get a new lamp.

Thanks in advance for the replies and the help. I've really missed being on here, and even more so- missed having my chicks!
Take care,
Neil

 

[Harmony Fowl]

I haven’t had any problems with pasty butt since I began using ACV, except once, and then I was experimenting with temperature to see how low I could go. Definitely start that ASAP. The pasty butt I see is usually dark in color and a hard if tiny glob stuck to the butt and obscuring or threatening to obscure the vent.

When I have had pasty butt trouble, I gently rinse the chick’s rear under warm running water. I very gently pull at just the stuck poop until I can loosen it and remove it. If pulling results in pulling on any part of the chick, keep rinsing. You don’t want to pull and hurt them. Gently towel dry, pop the chick back under the heat and make sure they stay warm. Keep an eye on that chick for the next few days. When it does happen, I’ve found the same chicks to be the sufferers over the course of several days.

And congrats on rejoining the chicken cult!

 

[junebuggena]

You need to check and see if the vent is clear. If the vent is clear and able to open and close, there is no need to do anything. If the vent is pasted shut, then you need to run a faucet till it's warm and let the water run over the mess. That is the gentlest way to clear the vent. There are lots of things that can cause pasty butt. The most common causes are stress, overheating, and chilling. It is important that the brooder has both a warm zone and cool zone so that chicks can escape the heat when needed.

 

[The Angry Hen]

The ACV can help and I agree with @junebuggena on the faucet trick. Also, you can moisten a Q-tip or cotton ball and gently remove any of the paste. Good luck and God bless, hope this helps the slightest bit for you.

 

[Eggsakly]

Use warm water and be super gentle removing matter. And keep an eye on the chick for a little while.

 

[nharbison0722]

I haven’t had any problems with pasty butt since I began using ACV, except once, and then I was experimenting with temperature to see how low I could go. Definitely start that ASAP. The pasty butt I see is usually dark in color and a hard if tiny glob stuck to the butt and obscuring or threatening to obscure the vent.

When I have had pasty butt trouble, I gently rinse the chick’s rear under warm running water. I very gently pull at just the stuck poop until I can loosen it and remove it. If pulling results in pulling on any part of the chick, keep rinsing. You don’t want to pull and hurt them. Gently towel dry, pop the chick back under the heat and make sure they stay warm. Keep an eye on that chick for the next few days. When it does happen, I’ve found the same chicks to be the sufferers over the course of several days.

And congrats on rejoining the chicken cult!

Thanks for the quick reply and advice! I am on it and will see if I can't get her fixed up. (Hoping its a "her"!)
I appreciate the help and the welcome back!
God Bless,
Neil

 

[nharbison0722]

You need to check and see if the vent is clear. If the vent is clear and able to open and close, there is no need to do anything. If the vent is pasted shut, then you need to run a faucet till it's warm and let the water run over the mess. That is the gentlest way to clear the vent. There are lots of things that can cause pasty butt. The most common causes are stress, overheating, and chilling. It is important that the brooder has both a warm zone and cool zone so that chicks can escape the heat when needed.

I will double check and see if the vent is pasted shut. She is so small, its hard to tell. I do have the heat lamp at one end of the brooder, and they tend to huddle there most of the time. But, its in a huge dog crate with shavings down, and their food is on the cooler end. (I have the lamp pointing straight down in the warm end, so that the other side will stay cooler. However, they tend to stay closest to the lamp.)
Thanks so much for your help!
God Bless,
Neil

 

[nharbison0722]

The ACV can help and I agree with @junebuggena on the faucet trick. Also, you can moisten a Q-tip or cotton ball and gently remove any of the paste. Good luck and God bless, hope this helps the slightest bit for you.

Thanks for the advice! I am taking care of that now, and implementing the ACV!
God Bless you!
Neil

 

[nharbison0722]

Use warm water and be super gentle removing matter. And keep an eye on the chick for a little while.

Thanks for the advice! I am keeping a very close eye on her!
God Bless
Neil

 

[lazy gardener]

What is the temp under the lamp? It should be 90 - 95 for the first day or two, then 90, and decrease as chick behavior warrants there after. Be sure the only area being heated is a small footprint under the heat lamp.

Other ways to deal with or prevent pasty butt: put a dab of cooking oil, vaseline, or mineral oil on the vent. A bit of crumbled dry oatmeal sprinkled on top of their starter. Be sure to give them chick grit. A plug of sod from an untreated yard will provide them with grit, beneficial bacteria and fungi to jump start their guts. They will also get: grit, minerals, first seeds, insects, greens, and perhaps a few worms from the sod.

Too much heat, or even chilling can contribute to PB.

I strongly recommend using Poultry Nutri-Drench for the first 2 weeks. Initially, I use it daily, then every other day, followed by decreasing frequency.