It has been my experience that pasty butt is caused by the stress of shipment. When the chicks have been with out food or water for 2 or 3 days in transit they tend to gorge themselves with food and water this causes diarrhea which sticks to their down. I pick mine up directly from the hatchery...
I probably wont be in Madison for the auction. Will be getting 100 meat birds in May and another 100 in June. The Sil Go Links are a cross of RIR roo and White Rock hen.
The brooder is a Hawkins Million Dollar Hen brooder built around the 1940s or 1950s. The company is not around any more. I have 2 units of 5. have been in family since new. I updated them with thermostatic heaters, they originally used low wattage box heaters.