OK! I had to clean/vaseline 3 out of 7 butts. The good news is, I see no further diarrhea! The scary news is: when I was cleaning my SLW's butt, I was wiping away from the vent and toward the body. That's when I discovered the umbilicus!!! Man, I'm sooooo green. SLW's umbilicus was not as dried down as the others, it was kind of fleshy and seemed almost bloody at the base from my butt wiping. I was soooo distressed, all I could think about was Mushy Chick Disease. I called out to DH to bring me Betadine and neosporin, which I applied, in that order. I felt like I was on the right track to heal it, but then I saw it (with the vaseline and neosporin on the fuzz, it was totally visible) and I knew that the six other girls would see it as a delicious morsel to peck. Sure enough, a few seconds later, the EE caught sight of it and pecked. I freaked out. Think, think, what do I do? Blu-Kote! I don't have any, yet. Then it hit me!!! I made a solution of alcohol and blue food coloring! I painted it on, and the red was no longer visible. I watched and no one else seemed to notice. Then I had to take my father to a doctor appointment. DH watched over the babies and said everything was fine the three times I called in an hour and a half! When I got home, I was thrilled! The umbilicus was dry and shriveled! I couldn't believe how fast and effective the alcohol solution was! And no more pecking due to the blue food coloring! SLW seems absolutely fine! As long as no dangerous bacteria entered the umbilicus while I was butt-cleaning, I think we're fine!
