Baby chicks keep getting a little poo stuck to fuzz on their butts

[elabraleon]

We've been washing it off for fear of the dreaded "pasty butt" but is this necessary? Is it better to not get them wet? Why is this happening? I'm feeding them plain water and chick crumbles and chick grit. They're about 3 days old. My chicks last year did not have this issue. They were about 2 weeks old when we got them. These are younger.

 

[Cynthia12]

Quote:
They don't need grit yet.

When they start to eat bigger things, like grass..then some small grit.

 

[canada-goose]

You can just pick the poo off with your fingernails. It's gross, but it's faster and works better than soaking. I can't remember why pasting happens, but the problem should stop happening in a week or so.

Have fun with your chickies!

 

[Lollipop]

Usually, if it`s poo, it`s a condition called "Pasty Butt". Believe it or not, pasty butt is caused by constipation. If it persists, the cure is mollasses in their drinking water. Mollasses is a natural lazative for fowl and should be mixed in their water to look like weak tea. One day is all that is needed. Wash their butts first. Good luck.........Pop

 

[kelseygirl707]

Washing won hurth them as long as you dry them off with a towel, and put them under the heat lamp. I'd rather wash them, then have them get "Clogged"

. Also I have heard a little veggie oil? I think it was veggie oil around the vend stopps it from sticking.

 

[gryeyes]

And by the time they are two weeks old, it usually doesn't happen any more.

 

[teach1rusl]

I've only dealt with two batches of chicks. In the first batch, I had one chick who'd always get poo on its butt fuzz, and it'd start to clump. No blockage whatsoever, but the glob would grow as more stuck to it with each poop.
This batch - same thing. One chick has a growing glob on her butt fuzz. No vent blockage. In both cases, we trimmed the butt fuzz area (including cutting the hardened blob off), and it helped quite a bit. Also in both cases, the chicks didn't quite squat like the others when pooping, so no projection I suppose...lol.
It's kind of funny, because in the case of the first batch chick, even as a young hen I've had to cut the butt fuzz of that same bird, as she tended to glob up back there (never got the hang of poop projection). So I'll be interested to see if that's the same case with this new chick. Hopefully your chicks will outgrow this poo issue within a week or so...

 

[Lofty Dreams]

sometimes i cut the feathers around the vent, they stay cleaner

 

[ButtersMama]

To me the kindest, most humane way to go about this is soaking the bottom in warm water. I used a little bowl in the laundry tub. The chicks loved it today and the poo dissolved. They seemed happy afterwards. Pulling it off seems like it may damage or hurt the delicate vent/rectum. Just my opinion...but then again...I have 4 chicks only 5 days old....what do I know????????

.

 

[foxyk91]

I just bought my very first 6 chicks yesterday & 2 of them have poo stuck on there butts. I'm hoping after I clean them up tonight it will no longer be an issue.