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

[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!!! =)

 

[hspero]

I had this happen to my chicks, turning the heat down helped, I was told it was a symptom of being too hot that they were constipated. Clean there butts as it says said above haven't had any trouble.

 

[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.

 

[Clucked Up]

No Scissors, No Soaking!

 

[chicken04]

We either put there butts in warm water with the fossit on a little bit and the poop usually comes of if that dosen't work take tweasers and chip or GENTLY pull of the poop PS.before doing that soak there butts in warm water!!!You could also get a paper towel and soak it with warm water and dab the poop of all these things have worked.

 

[Cptmorgan177]

What if one's vent is plugged? I think I have that problem

 

[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!

 

[TeaChick]

What if one's vent is plugged? I think I have that problem

If the vent I'd blocked, like where they can't poop, then you need to get that cleared asap!!!!!
If you've ever been around babies, then you know how much a little one poops; chicks are even smaller, and therefore poop even more!!

 

[NikkiCole5]

I'm sorry if this is a repeat, I didn't read everyone's comments
If they are getting pasty butt so often I think you should look at their environment, what are they in? Bedding? Splashing water? I don't think pasty butt should be do often, more of on occasion. Getting them wet isn't a problem, you just need to blow dry them and then put them under the heat. They will eventually like the blow dryer

 

[Beer can]

Chicks wiggle so please be careful with scissors at their bums! I don't know if there is any truth to it but throughout my chicken keeping years I've noticed chicks started on medicated feed would get pasty butt more often that ones on non-medicated starter. And if I had to give sav-a-chick then within a day or 2 someone would get pasty butt. I use the t-shirt material rags that dh has from work because they are 100% cotton and so soft. I have kind of long nails so sometimes a tiny scraping does it

Hey, we gotta wash our hands and nails afterwards anyhow!

You might have something there, I've only had a couple with pasty butt, withen a couple days of getting them from the hatchery in the mail. Once they were cleaned up it didn't come back. I never use medicated feed, never saw the reason to, my chicks always live and are healthy.