"Pasty butt" question

[boogburr37]

I have the same thing going on with my six right now. And they are the same type too. What i found works best is to snip the little fuzzies with the poop stuck to them off. And if it is really bad, soak the chicks bum in some warm water then put some oil on its butt (you can even use vegie oil) and fix them some boiled eggs to harden up their poo and also some plain yogurt if you have some. After a few hours check the chicks again and then apply and thicker oil (like vaseline or Neosporin) and your chicks will be fine! Give them love and cuddles, them being small i think makes them more lovie and cuddly and love can heal anything!

 

[hillfloweranch]

I have the same thing going on with my six right now. And they are the same type too. What i found works best is to snip the little fuzzies with the poop stuck to them off. And if it is really bad, soak the chicks bum in some warm water then put some oil on its butt (you can even use vegie oil) and fix them some boiled eggs to harden up their poo and also some plain yogurt if you have some. After a few hours check the chicks again and then apply and thicker oil (like vaseline or Neosporin) and your chicks will be fine! Give them love and cuddles, them being small i think makes them more lovie and cuddly and love can heal anything!

I did that also and still they died. All were vaccinated and pullorum certified but hoping for better success with new shipment and no further losses with current group.

 

[hillfloweranch]

I have the same thing going on with my six right now. And they are the same type too. What i found works best is to snip the little fuzzies with the poop stuck to them off. And if it is really bad, soak the chicks bum in some warm water then put some oil on its butt (you can even use vegie oil) and fix them some boiled eggs to harden up their poo and also some plain yogurt if you have some. After a few hours check the chicks again and then apply and thicker oil (like vaseline or Neosporin) and your chicks will be fine! Give them love and cuddles, them being small i think makes them more lovie and cuddly and love can heal anything!

I did that also and still they died. All were vaccinated and pullorum certified but hoping for better success with new shipment and no further losses with current group.

 

[stefan333]

I suggest everyone, whether you're old or new at raising chickens, to get all of Gail Damerow's books and read, reread, and read again. I hear so many misconceptions in these forums and too many people trying to diagnose issues without having the necessary information to diagnose correctly. An easy answer is to always blame the hatchery (sometimes that is the case, though, but rarely). Pasty Butt and chick deaths can be caused by an awful lot of things. For one, Pollorum can cause diarrhea, which can lead to pasty butt, but that's not very common. When the chicks are in the incubator one egg or when in the brooder one chick could have a bacteria or virus that can spread to the others causing death, and it's very difficult to trace it back to the source. Pasty Butt is thought to come from "improper consistency of droppings caused by rations or chilling," or "hereditary weakness". Too much sugar can cause loose droppings, which can lead to Pasty Butt. But food/water and cold aren't the ONLY things that can cause Pasty Butt. Anything that leads to diarrhea can cause Pasty Butt, and lots of diseases, bacteria, and management practices can lead to diarrhea in chicks up to about 10 days old. You can even get an older chicken with Pasty Butt, but it's not as common as with chicks. I for one have never had a chick that I incubated myself come down with Pasty Butt but have had plenty of shipped chicks from hatcheries get it. Some worse than others. The stress of shipping, getting chilled, and especially not being able to drink water for a couple days could cause it. I've never had one with Pasty Butt so bad that it died, so I would suggest something else is the cause of so many chick deaths. Granted they might have Pasty Butt, but I think that might be a symptom of something else. Think about this: When a human has diarrhea what causes it? Too many things that if you told me you had it, I could not possibly tell you what caused it. There are just way too many things that can cause diarrhea that causes Pasty Butt that causes lots of chick deaths, and I suggest to anyone experiencing massive losses to read Gail Damerow's books to try to diagnose and correct any problem that might possibly be management practices or to at least ease your mind knowing that sometimes things are beyond your control. I felt bad (that's an understatement) when I killed half of my very first chicks, because I had no clue coccidiosis existed, and I vowed I'd never be at fault for killing my chicks again (with the exception of the day 18 incubating egg I dropped a few days ago). Ever since, I have read and researched everything chicken and have had a much better success rate, and I also know that sometimes things happen in the chicken world that only God can control.

 

[kodster]

I lost 2 of mine that I received from McMurray on Monday... both died during the night Tuesday night. I did everything they instructed, but 1 of them got pasty butt (a White Jersey Giant), and I didn't catch it in time, she was so lethargic and wouldn't respond to anything by the time I found her in that condition. The other one was a surprise... she was laying near the pasty butt mortality, but she didn't have it, herself (Black Australorp). So I don't know what happened to her, other than she was a weak one to begin with. However, McMurray is replacing both of them for me, at no cost.

I got 8 ducklings in today, from them, as well... 2 of the Rouens were DOA! So, they're shipping out 2 replacements next week's hatch. I must say... McMurray is good about taking care of the ones that don't make it!

Give them a call, see what they can advise you on the problems you're experiencing.

 

[hillfloweranch]

they are replacing the Blue Andalusians that I lost plus a few extra...I'm totally happy with that. They ARE very good at taking care of their customers!!

 

[one old chick]

hillfloweranch, i am new to this site and have read this whole thread. i am so sorry about the loss of your chickens. i just started a week ago with mine so far so good but i didn't buy them through the hatchery i bought them from agway and TSC. i was thinking of buying some ducks through the mail but after reading everything here, i think i will buy local on those too. not that they didn't have any arrive dead on thier shippment it's just that i am not good with animals arriving directly to me dead. i have raised chickens in the past under hen but she took care of them and i took care of her. i honestly didn't realize how much attention they needed. i find myself constantly checking on them to be sure they are all active and eating and drinking. it truly is a labor of love even if you don't realize it from the start they somehow get under your skin and into your heart. i can't imagine going through what you have been through this past week or so. i admire your strength and compassion. i pray the remainder of your flock survive whatever it was that took the lives of the others and that they grow up healthy, strong and beautiful. take care, God bless

 

[spainterrd]

Pullorum is salmonella, and that doesn't cause pasty butt.  Naturally raised chicks that are with a broody hen don't get it.  It is caused by dehydration, stress in shipping, or too hot of a brooder.  It is easily cleaned off by just using a little soapy warm water and your fingers rubbing it off.  Then look to see if the vent is open.  Many chicks have messy bottoms, but if the vent is open, they are all right.  Most persistant cases are gone within a week.

glad to see your post. We have one week old. One has crusted bottom, but not covering the vent. I'm still going to try to clean it with the warm water tomorrow morning.

 

[TW1Kell]

Out of 6 Phoenix Bantams and 5 Silver Sebrights, I wound up with 4 Phoenix and 5 'Brights. ALL had pasty butts, and the 2 that died seemed to have broken their necks, somehow. Each was lying on it's head, and had no marks or swelling, anywhere, that I could discern. The pasty butt didn't become an issue, apparently. The next batch, 5 out of 11 had pasty butts, I gave them the powdered part of the oyster shell, again...they cleared-up and all lived. The new clutch (13 EE's, Tophat/Amie's, and Dominiques) haven't shown the 1st sign of pasty butts. Ya never know what's gonna happen, I guess.

 

[bucky52]

let the facet run slow and make sure the water is not hot(i ran mine on my wrist to make sure its comfortable warm)i held the baby chicks but under the warm water and very gently use your fingers to work the poop off.than i took a dab of baby oil and put it on the but.hope this helps.this is what i did last spring when mine pasted up.since i started letting my Broddie's raise their young i have not had any of them past up.