Cleaning poop off chick feathers!

[EldritchAcres]

Hello!

This is my third time raising baby chicks, and this is the first time I've had messy babies! I don't know if it's because I have two turkeys with my 4 chicks but even with frequent bedding changes there is poop on everyone! This is more specifically on the turkeys, they're 3 weeks old and one of them in particular always has poop all over his chest. A few of the baby chicks some how have poop on their back feathers. Any advice on how to best clean these poopy babies?!

Thanks!

 

[Cyprus]

Just give them a bath in warm water, and scrub it off. Blow dry them, on low heat and low power.

Do you have enough space in your brooder?

 

[sylviethecochin]

I've heard that the best way to go about it is to smear coconut oil on the packed poop and let it soak in before gently removing it. It worked for me when my one little bantam peep had pasty butt.

I've never tried water washing. I thought about it, and I think putting something as small as a chick into water would probably create the same sort of bone-deep chill that makes my wrists ache in winter.

 

[ronott1]

Luckily the time in the brooder is not that long!

Great advice on cleaning them

 

[EldritchAcres]

Just give them a bath in warm water, and scrub it off. Blow dry them, on low heat and low power.

Do you have enough space in your brooder?

Yep, it's about the size of an x-large dog crate (which I keep it in for double security inside the house from cats). I clean it 4 times a week. I'll try out the warm water and low blow drying. I wanted to use a damp cloth but I didn't want to get them too wet. I didn't think about how to dry them. Thanks!!

 

[EldritchAcres]

I've heard that the best way to go about it is to smear coconut oil on the packed poop and let it soak in before gently removing it. It worked for me when my one little bantam peep had pasty butt.

I've never tried water washing. I thought about it, and I think putting something as small as a chick into water would probably create the same sort of bone-deep chill that makes my wrists ache in winter.

I'll give that a shot if I find any packed on! It's mostly smeared. Thanks!

And yess, I'm glad brooder time is pretty short. The guineas are going outside this week, and the chicks are mostly feathered. The marans seem to be taking longer.