Cleaning Chicks' Vents to Prevent Pasting

[Stella1964]

I just purchased my first bunch of chicks last weeks. They are 5 days old and their poop is sticking to their backsides. I'm sure they're still voiding fine but it's unsightly. How can I clean up their bums easily when it's all dried on? I don't want to hurt them and they really dislike being turned upside down. My husband tried cleaning them with a moist Q-tip, but it took a really long time. Any advice would be appreciated.

Also, how likely is it that my chicks will paste up?

Thank you for your expertise.

 

[petlove]

Click on the search button above, under backyard chickens forum, and type in pasty butt.

 

[Katy]

Actually they may not be pooing ok. It's possible for them to be blocked so badly they can't go and then they'll die. You really should clean them off. It's not a fun or a fast job, but one that needs to be done.

 

[hypnofrogstevie]

What I did was pull the hard poop off. It took out some fluff next to the vent but I think its like pulling a band aid. No more blockage after.

 

[Stella1964]

Thanks for the replies. I tried some suggestions like putting oil on her butt and tried to cut some away, but there's still lots there and she screams bloody murder every time I try to clean her up. I'm afraid I'm hurting her. She's a Rhode Island Red. The others (leghorn, black sex link, red sex link) are all very clean for some reason.

Would it be ok to put the RIR chick into warm soapy water and let her soak a bit? Not sure if she'd like that but I'm very afraid she's going to paste up if I don't do something soon.

 

[hypnofrogstevie]

I heard of people soaking the bums for a few minutes in warm water. It might work. Not sure about soap water though.

 

[Cetawin]

I used a wet warm wash cloth cloth and held it on her butt...then I used a Q-tip moistened with warm warm. When she was really dirty, I sat her butt in my hand and ran slow warm warm into my hand.

She complained but was happy her butt was cleaned...I simply dried her butt with a dry towel. She got over the pasty butt in a couple of days and no more problems. No soapy water...just plain warm water.

 

[LynneP]

...and I was told that after cleaning them you can trim the vent feathers with manicure scissors to keep the area clear...

Someone else told me that if you have horses and might keep a product called 'Mane&Tail' on hand that you can gently spray the edges of the poo and tease it out with an old comb or a table fork...

 

[Katy]

I wouldn't put her in water...chicks chill very easily. You could just drip some warm water onto the poo until it softens enough you can pull it off.