WHAT WILL FIX PASTY BUTT???

[speckledhen]

Pasty butt is not constipation, IMO. And giving sugar water to chicks with it isn't what fixes it. Constipation would mean they can't poop at all. Obviously, they are pooping and the feces are clumping just outside the vent, which clogs them up on the outside so more poop cannot come out. Molasses also has alot of iron in it and may be too much for babies. Here is a reference:

Pasty Butt
Shipping can be hard on some chicks and a sign of that stress is that they get their butts pasted up with loose droppings. Keep a close eye on them for the first 5-6 days. If this happens, you must clean it up or they'll die.

If your chicks got over pasty butt, I'm betting it was in spite of molasses, not because of it. Sugar water causes diarrhea and diarrhea causes dehydration if taken to the extreme (someone keeps sugar water in the waterer for weeks) Sorry, I must disagree with you, Pop.​

 

[Hobbley_Farm]

Quote:
I was told by a hatchery to use AVC also.

 

[crazyelk]

What is AVC?

 

[speckledhen]

Apple Cider Vinegar, but the best to use is the unfiltered with "the mother", which is the sediment on the bottom. I get Spectrum brand that is sold by Ingles Grocery Store. It's an organic type.

 

[Lollipop]

Quote:
I`m sorry if you are offended by my copy and paste method. Actually this subject comes up multiple times on most days and in an effort to be helpfull without spending untold amounts of time responding to the same question, I simply used a shortcut.

I`m sure you`ll agree that there are as many opinions on most subjects as there are chicken owners. I simply state what I have observed and that is the mess known as pasty butt is the result of watery excrement leaking past a blockage and building up around the vent without the pressure of a normal BM to move it past the fuzz or feathers. Molasses, being a natural laxative for birds, has always worked for me. It`s not something I read, just down home experience. If you and others have a reasonable alternative, by all means use it and recommend it.

Again, I only intend to help, not offend.........Pop

 

[Lollipop]

Double post delete

 

[crazyelk]

Quote:
How much vinegar to a quart of water?

 

[DiVon80]

Quote:

 

[Davaroo]

Heres one for you from Bob Plamondon, a guy who knows chickens for sure...

Pasty butt is the result of chilling and too much soy in the feed, fed too early in life. With shipped or store bought chicks, the chilling and stress that results from their first day or two of life compounds the issue.

Following his advice, I give NO food for 72 hours. After that, I give only hard boiled egg, mashed with a little fine milled oat or crumbled cornbread for 2-3 days. In the first week they get zero chick starter. I begin to wean them onto it once they are on their feed well, in incremental doses.

I also keep them warm with infrared light under a small hover. I put a small white night lite over the waterer only - so they can find it. I use half -strength Gatorade the first day - after that straight water.
No glaring, white light in their faces and little to no disturbance...

- No inquisitive kids
- Cats and dogs are barred from even looking at them
- I stay away from the brooder as much as possible, too.

In essence it's a quiet, warm, soothing red life they live for the first 5-7 days.

Guess what - little to no pasty butt.

CAUTION - PONTICIFICATION AHEAD
Many problems arise from a lack of disicipline in their feeding. We want to shove anything and everything down their throats as soon as possible. But think about what they get in Nature; it's precious little at first. Considering this you will see the wisdom in being prudent, even Spartan, in their early feeding regimen.

I will try some sand this time around. Never needed it, but it couldn't hurt and the logic is sound.

 

[vermontgal]

Quote:
How much vinegar to a quart of water?

2-3 teaspoons. Note that 3 teaspoons = 1 tablespoon