Hi from Tehachapi,CA

[Chicklet59]

Hi All,
We just bought 30 chicks from the feed store yesterday, 2 Brown Danish Leghorns, 5 White Plymouth Rock, 2 Barred Rock, 6 Rhode Island Reds, 10 Buff Orringtons and 5 Delewares.
We had a 13 hens and a rooster from last spring that were doing a great job of egg laying until a baby bobcat dug into the coop at Christmastime and killed them all.
We will take measures to block around the coop before they are released into the coop after maturing a bit.
I have a couple out of the 30 that have poopy butt syndrome, any tips on that?
I really enjoy raising chickens, watching them and love the eggs!
Susan

 

[Going Bhonkers]

 

[gryeyes]

Lots of things can cause pasty butt in chicks. Lots of people add ACV (apple cider vinegar, natural, with the "mother" in it, I find Brag's brand around here in the grocery store) in their water... But you have to use a plastic or glass waterer, as the galvanized ones react to the acid.

Another thing to control is heat; make sure there is a cooler area of the brooder for them to get away from the heat source. Better to set up that source at one end, than the middle, of a brooder bin. Don't make it too hot there for their level of readiness: 90-95 degrees the first week and then 85-90 the second week, and so on. 5 degree drop a week,

I just wash their little hineys, dry 'em off and put 'em under the heat again to dry off.

Good luck with your new flock!

 

[Chicklet59]

Thank you for the helpful information greyeyes! I will wash their butts off in the morning and see if that does the trick.

 

[kacklinkelly]

Congrats on your growing brood. I have only heard of your lovely area from watching a show on Animal Planet. Some lady
rescues pit bulls and apparently your area was her dream spot. Hoping her pit bulls scare off the bob cats and your chicks live
happy ever after.

 

[drumstick diva]

 

[Fierlin1182]

Hi and

Congrats on your new chicks. Good luck with the poopy butt, it's somewhat common (at least from posts on here!) and easy to treat.

I hope you find any info you need here and enjoy the site.

 

[sumi]

Hello and welcome to BYC

Sorry to hear about your first flock. I hope things will go well for you this time round. Gryeyes gave you good advice for the pasty butts. What you can also do is after washing and drying them, add a little vaseline or olive oil to the area to help prevent the poop sticking again. Enjoy your chicks!

 

[redsoxs]

Greetings from Kansas, Chicklet59, and

! Great to have you aboard! Best of luck with your new flock!!

 

[DDNONIN2016]

Hello and welcome from Ohio....so glad you joined BYC

Good luck with your new chicks. They sure grow fast