Chick with "Pasty Vent" and other symptoms...need help.

[JurassicChicken]

My wife walked in yesterday to find that one of our two week old BR chicks was laying on her side squealing loudly, and her vent was blocked with feces. She used a warm wet paper towel to clean the chick, but the chick is still not acting like the other chicks. She is lethargic and her vent or the area where her tail feathers should be is swollen, red and painful. Can anyone tell me what the problem may be and is there anything we can do about it?

 

[junebuggena]

One the biggest causes of pasty but in chicks over 1 week of age is over heating. Make sure the brooder is large enough and set up so that one end of the brooder is completely unheated.

 

[PD-Riverman]

My wife walked in yesterday to find that one of our two week old BR chicks was laying on her side squealing loudly, and her vent was blocked with feces. She used a warm wet paper towel to clean the chick, but the chick is still not acting like the other chicks. She is lethargic and her vent or the area where her tail feathers should be is swollen, red and painful. Can anyone tell me what the problem may be and is there anything we can do about it?

We call it "Poop Tail" for sure a chick killer if you do not monitor for this and keep them clean. You need to sit for a few seconds and watch each chick to make sure this does not happen. I some times have 100 +/- in a brooder. I remove all of them to boxes then put them back into the brooder one at a time checking them. Since I make sure my temp is correct I do not have that problem very much.

Be careful cleaning---let is soak to soften it---the chick will probably be ok if all was removed without damaging its back end. The poop on her skin can burn the area. Check your brooder temp and for sure only heat one side the brooder---not the area where food and water is. The biggest problem I see with home-made brooders is a medium size plastic tote with a 250 watt red bulb shinning down in it---For sure a chick killer if the temp is not check and right. The chicks have no where to go to get away from the heat.