Chick Pasting?

[BantyChickenLuv]

Hello. My daughter's chicks are "pasting" around their vents. They are for 4H and we want to make sure they are heathy. What causes it and what's something we can do to get rid of it? Thank you.

 

[BantyChickenLuv]

If it helps, the chicks are Bantams, and we are pretty sure they are Cochins.

 

[mstricer]

You can use a wet Q-tip to gently clean it, or pull off quickly. They get that when there is not enough heat. If you raise the temp for them a little it should stop.

 

[CochinBrahmaLover]

i know your supposed to be nice but we just get off the poop dry and rip the down, I know it seems mean but after we do that they dont get a pasty but any more. The chick has 2 seconds of pain and then they dont get pasty but again, just MY way. I never knew how to stop it so thats why we did it that way so they dont get it anymore

 

[Fred's Hens]

We just hold their little butts under a stream of warm water until the poop softens and crumbles away. We smear the vent area with vasoline or olive oil.

 

[darin367]

my experience with pasty butt is your brooder is to warm or they need room to move away from heat when they want to....

 

[Tenmore]

To much heat not enough heat which is it I have the same problem

 

[Fred's Hens]

To much heat not enough heat which is it I have the same problem

If one's brooder is large enough, the "precise" temp is fairly irrelevant. They'll adjust themselves, which is ideal. If they're cold, they move into the heat circle, if they are hot, they move away, Nice. If a brooder is too small? There's little they can do to adjust. That puts all the burden upon the keeper. It is very difficult challenge to precisely match their needs/desire/comfort level, as it changes depending upon ambient air and their own age and feathering out.

That's is why I truly prefer and recommend a large brooder. Solves a lot of problems, including boredom, pecking, crowding, etc, as well.