Pasty Butt Won't Come Off! Please Help!!!!

[Chickenlovers6]

I have 6 cochin bantam chicks and 2 of them have pasty butt. I ran warm water over the first one's butt, then tried to get it off but I accidentally pulled off some of her fluff! So, I set her under the heat lamp to dry. Then, I tried the next one by dunking her butt in a basin of warm water. That didn't work, either. I get off the main stuff, but there is always still some poop in their fluff. How can I get it off without getting her too wet and not pulling off any fluff? Please help!

 

[Chickenlovers6]

It sometimes takes a while. I use a soft cloth moistened with vinegar. As long as the vent isn't plugged you're OK.

Probiotics seem to prevent the pasted vent.

Oh, yes. I have probiotics in their water.

 

[sonjab314]

You can also use olive oil on their vent to reduce future droppings from sticking. It doesnt have any medication in it and its completely natural

 

[Chickenlovers6]

Oh my goodness thank you so much! I just feel bad when they get wet and I can't dry it completely. They peep so much and sometimes their feet get wet and sometimes their backs get wet, too! Does that affect them?

 

[ChickenCanoe]

With the mother means it is raw unfiltered and has some residue floating in the bottom of the bottle.
If the vinegar is for cleaning the vent it doesn't matter.
If it is for consumption (in their water) it should be raw unpasteurized.
Most people use organic Braggs ACV. It doesn't have to be organic but it does need to be raw. Pasteurization kills all the healthful enzymes.

You can get the chicks wet as long as the water is warm enough. Then you can use a hair dryer to blow dry them.

 

[WthrLady]

Keep the dryer on the cool low heat setting. No need to shoot them across the counter!

 

[TeaChick]

I've had the same problem with bantam cochin chicks (and other breeds as well, bantam and LF). I warm a bowl of water and put all the chicks in the water at the same time. (Be careful it's not too hot, their body temp is only a couple of degrees higher than ours). Then I take the first one out and try to rub the poop off of and out of the fluff, I squeeze at it and manipulate it keeping it wet; when it stops coming off, I put that chick back in the bowl to soak while I do the same thing to the next chick. I work my way through the chicks and then start over at the beginning. As I get all the poop out of one of them, I hand it to DD (I've never had to do this alone) and she dries off the chick and puts it back in the brooder to finish drying.
If I don't have time for that and it's not too cool, then I'll use a pair of scissors to cut the poop off their butts. Mostly, my concern (and I don't know if this is right for everyone or not, but this is me) is not letting their vent get sealed shut w/ poop such that no more can get out.

I hope everything works out with your chicks!!! =)

 

[Clucked Up]

Yes, patience. Cuddle her in your warm hands. I use a bowl of warm water and hydrogen peroxide (3%) 10:1 ratio +/-., and a baby wipe (non scented) Dab, dab, dab ... again, patience. If it is very bad, just do it 3 or 4 times with a break in-between for her to "shake it off". Be careful to NOT let the others pick at her. 3 of 9 were PB, all survived quite nicely. I actually believe


we were bonded through that (icky) experience!
This is her at 6 weeks old.

 

[Chickenlovers6]

So tonight I got home and I had someone help me clean Arrow (that's the chick's name) 's butt. Now he (yes, it is a cockerel baby) is very clean and beautiful and not so unpleasant to look at. He probably feels like a million bucks right now even though his cleaning process was not very fun for him 9except for the warmth, I guess). Thank's y'all for helping out!

 

[Kim4810]

New to chickens, will be getting my first ones in a few weeks. As for the pasty butt, could you put a little olive oil or something on all their butts right away to help prevent it from sticking? Would that hurt anything?