Bathing very poopy 1 week old chicks

[VintageLilFarm]

TIME CRITICAL: I got some chicks today and they need (yes, NEED... long story!) to be bathed ASAP. Should I set up my incubator to 90 degrees and put them in there until they are dry? I hate to use a blow dryer on babies.

 

[blackdog043]

Why do they need to be bathed?

 

[azygous]

If the poop is blocking the vents, you do need to clean them. But spot cleaning is better than dipping the chicks in water and getting them all-over wet.

Placing them in the incubator to dry is a good idea, but a hair dryer on the lowest setting won't bother chicks if you understand how to approach them with it. The secret to using something noisy around chickens of any age is to turn it on while you are still a good distance from the chicks. Then move closer slowly with the noisy appliance, and by the time you get into close proximity to the chicks, they won't even notice the noise.

 

[Rogue Chickens]

I had a chick with pasty butt today and had to half bathe her. I used the hair dryer on her afterwards (lowest heat, lowest speed) and she actually loved it.

 

[VintageLilFarm]

Thanks for the help. I was worried the humidity of the incubator might not be good for one week olds so, after putting three in there for a few minutes, I took them out and let them dry under heat, nestled together in a very warm room. Some of them just needed a foot bath and a few needed to be more wet. They all did just fine. Thanks for the input!

 

[Egghead_Jr]

Oddly I also had a bought of pasty butt this hatch. Had to clean every chick. Make sure water is up to temp (95-100F). It was so bad on most of my chicks they needed butts in water for good soaking to soften things up enough to remove.

Our heat lamp is still low and brooder large for cool areas; put each straight back in brooder directly under lamp after cleaninng. Fluffed back up in 15 minutes with no problems.

 

[VintageLilFarm]

Thank you! Yes, many of the poopy butts turned into much more than a bottom washing! I washed them, vinegar water to rinse, and a final tip off with water with a few drops of an essential oil blend from a vet. I put them under mother heating pad but immediately and they dried pretty quickly.