Do older chicks get pasty butt? How long should I keep checking?

[Schwinn]

Hi everyone,

I've been reading this forum for a while -- thanks for all the good advice, everyone! -- but this is the first time I've posted.

I'm just wondering how long I should keep checking my chicks for pasty butt...? Is this something they grow out of, or should I keep checking until they are full-grown adults?

I have five chicks and am new to all this. One of the chicks had pasty butt many times in the first couple weeks but is better now. Now that they're older (about five weeks) there haven't been any problems. It's getting harder to check now that their feathers are long and they keep scrambling out of my hands! I'm wondering if there's some point at which it's safe to stop checking...?

I searched all over the site to find an answer to this before posting... but if I have missed something and this issue has come up, I apologize.

Thanks for your help!
Kate

 

[MuckyPuppy]

I have a chick that has pasty butt but I don't know the answer to your question. I had thought that it was something that they eventually grow out of (at least I hope so!).

 

[Wildflower_VA]

After the first weeks, pasty butt should be a thing of the past. It is caused by stress from shipping, dehydration and digestive upsets. Once they are eating and drinking well, and the brooder temperatures are staying steady, neither too hot or too cold, which causes stress, the pasty butt should go away.

For digestion, you can give them some sand in the brooder. It acts as grit, contains pre-biotics and minerals, all of which aid digestion. Giving them pro-biotics in the water, or giving small amounts of plain yogurt is also good for digestion.

If you have one chick that seems to have pasty butt for more than a week, you can give that chick some electrolytes in the water for a few more days. When dehydrated, the electrolyte imbalance can be hard to get back to normal.