Poo stuck to fur, NOT on vent

[MenervaGladysandPenny]

Hello!

I have a 5 day old chick that has some poo stuck to her fur around her vent, but very clearly not ON her vent. The vent is clear and clean. I cleaned another chick with poo stuck to her fur and of course it is stressful for them. Is there a risk to leaving this poo on her fur? And sparing her the wash and blow dry? Thank you for your advice!

 

[Tonyroo]

Depends on how big the poop is relative to the size of the chick.

If it smaller than the size of a pea than leave it.

 

[Tired old Rooster]

They will get over the stress of having their bum washed pretty quick. They might not survive if their vent gets glued shut and you catch it too late.

 

[BastyPutt]

I would say clean them regardless. The other chicks will have a tendency to pick at the pasty butt, which could pull out feathers/down. You can clean them without stressing them out , here is how.

Hold them in the palm of your hand, upside down and cradle their neck with your pointer finger and massage their breast with your thumb as you clean. as long as the water is warm, and you aren't pulling at all, but rolling the poop ball in your figers like a ball of clay, this will almost put them to sleep. Depending on how dry the poo is, this does take a bit of time.

As long as you have an adequate heat source, you shouldn't need to blow dry them. They will usually dry out in just a few minutes.

 

[MenervaGladysandPenny]

Thank you all for your help! I checked on her a few hours later and it was just a small smear on her fluff. I appreciate the education on this that it is good to clean a concerning piece regardless, and how to clean it in the least stressful way. When I check them all for pasting today, I will use this information.

 

[BastyPutt]

Thank you all for your help! I checked on her a few hours later and it was just a small smear on her fluff. I appreciate the education on this that it is good to clean a concerning piece regardless, and how to clean it in the least stressful way. When I check them all for pasting today, I will use this information.

Excited to hear how it goes!