1st day with chicks, some have poopy bottoms

[my3jsons]

Am I just supposed to clean this off? Does this mean they are too hot? They don't act like they are trying to get away from the light. Or do they need yogurt?

 

[Lesa]

Clean it off- pasty butt can be dangerous. I would stick to chick feed right now. If they have room to get out from under the light, they will stay where they are comfortable. Enjoy your babies!

 

[chicmom]

I usually get a few chicks with pasty butt. You do have to clean that off because then that dried poo will block them up, and they can die from that. Pasty butt is usually a sign that they are too chilly. Now, if they are all staying clear of your brooder light, then raise it up just a bit.

I think after about the third or fourth day, those few chicks will outgrow the pasty butt, but just check them a few times a day until you don't see it anymore.

You can clean it off with some warm water and a paper towel--you've kinda gotta rub it between the paper towel and your fingers and crush it off, and if it's really stuck sometimes you can just trim those rear feathers just a tiny bit and that will solve your problem.

Just keep after it and things will be fine.

Good luck!

Sharon

 

[below_gravity]

I also found that after you clean it, if you wipe a tiny bit of olive oil on there butts that helps to keep things lubed up and also helps to soften what you didn't get off.

 

[Nostalchic]

That pasty poo gets dry and hard pretty quickly, and can be really difficult to clean off with a paper towel and be careful not to pull it off, you can tear that delicate skin. What I've found works best, if you are in the house where it's warm, is to put warm water in a bowl and hold them in the warm water while gently cleaning the poo away with your fingers. They may struggle a little at first, but relax pretty quickly, almost seem to like it. Then put them under the heat lamp. You don't usually have to do this for very long, they grow out of this within a few days in my experience.

 

[my3jsons]

Thanks you guys! I couldn't do this without ya!

 

[FlashPointFarm]

Yogurt will give them the good bacteria they need for their digestive system. That will help solve the diarrhea that is causing pasty butt.

 

[Uzuri]

Get somebody to help you, too -- it's way, way easier to gently clean a struggling chick with four hands involved. One person holds the chick kind of upside down and still, and the other one swabs.

My sister's fiance helped with my first (and so far, only) pasty butt issue... while my sister stood out in the hall and went "Ew ew ew ew ew!" I'm going to have to disown her and adopt him