Baby Chicks with pasty butt - help!

[jenngue86]

Hi everyone,

We have 6 baby chicks that are 6 days old (3 Buff Orpingtons and 3 Barred Rocks). We got them from a local feed store and this is our first time owning chicks. We have been giving them regular chick starter feed and water with sugar (we have recently stopped with sugar). Two of the girls have pasty butt so we have been also feeding them ground oatmeal and putting Pedialite in their water. Is there anything else we should do?

I have been having a hard time getting them clean, even with using a damp towel. I feel so bad for the girls. Any suggestions?

Thanks everyone!!

 

[kklowell]

It was hard for me to get them clean too, but I found that holding a damp paper towel on the area for some time helped. Others have soaked their butts in a dish of water, or actually held them under a trickle of water from a faucet while working with a Q-tip.

 

[AlleysChicks]

I do water with probiotics and vitamins with chick grit in a dish to the side.

 

[Zinjifrah]

Wet gauze, hold the butt under TEPID (Not hot or cold) water, just let it soak for a little while and work the poop off gently. You shouldn't pull fluff to get them clean - patience pays off. Then once you've got them clean, pat or blow-dry their butts (not to hot, again!), then dab a bit of Vaseline or Bag Balm around their vent, to keep the poop from sticking again.

I add a little ACV (with the MOTHER bacteria - it'll say on the label) to my chicks' water for beneficial bacteria, and water down some plain yogurt, then stir their chick crumble in until it's crumbly (not clumpy), for probiotics. they really seem to love the slightly moist crumble.

 

[Peeperscreepers]

I had a couple chicks with bad pasty butts. I gave ACV with mother in water and ground their feed up smaller in a food processor. And boiled egg yolk mashed seemed to help too. It is hard to get them clean but as someone else said a warm wet paper towel on top of poo will soften it up. Just take your time. At first it stressed me out more than the chicks. lol. I have some chicks being shipped from cackle next week(yay) so I hope they dont have it also, but if they do, at least I know how to take care of it now. It can also be from the brooder being to hot.

 

[TK421]

I had a chick this month with “not quite pasty butt.” She had feces stuck to feathers below the vent. A week of cleaning didn’t help, but 2 days of cornmeal in the feed and Vaseline on and under the vent solved it.