Arizona Chickens

[Sonoran Silkies]

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My experence has been too cold or not enough clean drinking water makes pasty bottom more likely. Once a chick has developed it, THAT chick is more likely to re-develop it, and so needs to be watched closely. ANY real apple cider vinegar works. You don't have to use high $$ stuff. The mother is only necessary if you plan to make more ACV yourself. (It works as a starter.) Apple cider vinegar purchased at a grocery store is usually the real stuff, that purchased at places like Target, Walmart, etc. tend to be flavoured. At least that is my experience in the Phoenix area. Read labels.

I would not give sugar water. Gatorade or pedialyte? Yes (but diluted about 50%). Adding just sugar? No.

I probably would not give cheese to a chick, but I doubt a small bit would cause problems. Why were you feeding cheese?

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

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I've heard if you put sand in as the substrate it prevents the pasty butt. I used sand one time, and I didn't have any, but I don't know if it was a coincidence or because of the sand. I do usually put a handful of sand in on the shavings once they start getting greens or other food. I don't think it's the temp or food exactly, since I usually only have one chick or maybe two, that gets it in a batch, and everyone is in the same environment, eating the same food.

I've had exactly the opposite experience with sand. While I like it in the coops with older birds, I definitely have had bad experiences using it in brooders.

 

[tball chicky]

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If you can find a nice size, cheap wine cooler, they are easy to convert and work well. Mine is a Danby (they make great incubators, but are sucky wine coolers, so you often find them broken for cheap). With mine, the temperature gauges for the top and bottom zone work, and probably 4 or 5 of the 6 fans. It used to be 5, but we think one went out because the temps were suddenly not stable, but we can't find it without moving the cooler. So, we added a fan to the bottom, which makes the temps really super stable.
You just cut out the compressor, drill holes in the bottom back of the cooler, add a light kit or two (we did two, in case one goes out), install them, and connect the plugs to a thermostat, we used a reptile thermostat. It turns it on at 98.8 and off at 99.8. This seems to be the ideal temp range since now our seramas are hatching on day 21, instead of day 19. We got a humidity / temp gauge that is meant to go in a cigar box, it's a nice inexpensive digital gauge. We also added two egg turners after a bit. Now that I'm doing dry incubation, I barely ever have to even open it, except to take eggs out or put them in. Of course if it didn't have fans, we would probably need more fans than the one mini desk fan. On ours the temp gauge, the lights and the fans all run independent of the compressor. It looked like they all were on the same plug, but when we took it apart, the compressor was plugged into the main power.
The hardest thing was figuring out how it was wired, and how to take the compressor off without damaging the wiring to the fans and lights / temp gauge. It turned out much easier than it looked. Once we had the compressor unbolted, it was obvious how to do it. But we spent probably half an hour staring at it before we were brave enough to unbolt it.

Thanks...I'll be on the look for one of these then

Sounds easy enough (for hubby anyway)

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

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I would start lowering the brooder temperature. Did you make any kefir with those kefir grains? If you did, start giving them kefir. If not, are they getting apple cider vinegar? Give them organic apple cider vinegar and a bit of store bought kefir.
I haven't had any pasty butt with mine. Last summer I had some and they didn't get kefir. They also had a more stressful shipping. I think the cheese is probably fine. I wouldn't keep using the sugar, that's just for the hump the first couple of days.

The best temperature gauge for a brooder is chick behavior: huddled and piled up miserably peeping chicks are too cold, spread as far from the heat source as possible and constantly sleeping/lethargic is too hot. Some that are sleeping, some that are moving around, some that are eating or drinking and being active means you have the temperature just right. Oh, they also need enough space. When mine have been crowded in their brooder cage is when water is more likely to get dirty and some chicks probably are not drinking as much as they should

 

[AZBootsie]

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Ok here goes my unpopular opinion on the subject.

I was a kid in the 70's raised in North Phx, (Deer Valley when you occasionally still saw a deer). We found abandoned baby owls. A Fish and Game vet called me to talk about nutrition, because they couldn't take the birds for a couple of days. He told me that birds could not digest milk products. Now, a billion years later I still avoid milk products with all of my birds. Birds don't produce the necessary enzyme, lactase. Yes, tons of people give yogurt with good results. I just don't. I give probios and natural ACV. If you feel you must give cheese, my advice would be to give tiny amounts very infrequently. Cheese is salty and excess sodium is not healthy for birds. Yes it is probably responsible for the pasty butt,........Just my opinion. Take it or leave it. Up to you.

Scrambled eggs are my favorite chick treat and they love them. Grit or sand is important if you are giving them any treat that will require mechanical digestion ..... greens etc. Anything you would chew.

And lastly. NEVER, NEVER stop posting the baby pics. I love them!!! Chicken Pictures are the best!!!

edited to be snotty: So Nanner, nanner, nanner... Tammy is right!!!

 

[Memphisjourney2seramas]

phx2phx- love the leg warmers on the yellow chick!

 

[RanchoDelPolloLoco]

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Ooh...best of luck to you and your little hen. We had one have a bad prolapse/egg binding, and she kept pushing it back out, even after a vet visit and stitching. Hopefully yours can keep all of her insides where they are supposed to be...

Thank you, she was all hanging out again this morning. I cleaned the area and applied honey but she literally pushed it straight back out. I managed to get it all back in again but her vent seems so... big and wide, like there is no strength to keep anything in. I think her days are numbered

My husband is back tomorrow evening, I am not sure if that is too long to wait, I might have to do it myself. Not sure which way would be best.

 

[RanchoDelPolloLoco]

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Gorgeous! What a great combination

 

[RanchoDelPolloLoco]

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Mikey I LOVE the chick pics! Looks like you are enjoying them and paying them much more attention than mine get

 

[southerndesert]

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Ooh...best of luck to you and your little hen. We had one have a bad prolapse/egg binding, and she kept pushing it back out, even after a vet visit and stitching. Hopefully yours can keep all of her insides where they are supposed to be...

Thank you, she was all hanging out again this morning. I cleaned the area and applied honey but she literally pushed it straight back out. I managed to get it all back in again but her vent seems so... big and wide, like there is no strength to keep anything in. I think her days are numbered

My husband is back tomorrow evening, I am not sure if that is too long to wait, I might have to do it myself. Not sure which way would be best.

Sorry to hear the bad news.....