How can I tell if she's pasting up?

[YolandaT]

Hello! Just got 3 chicks yesterday, its my first time owning chicks and I'm pretty excited about the whole situation.

I got my chicks from a lady who hatches them on her farm, they are about a week old. One of them (my silver laced Wyandotte, Clotile!) has a dark brown/blackish circular spot that looks stuck under her tail that is, oh about 2mm big. There are also two little trails of "stuff" sticking to her fur at this same area. These things have been on her since we got her yesterday.

Is she pasted up, or just dirty? I've looked for pics of "chick pasted up" online and found only one and it wasn't very helpful. When a chick is pasted up is it a big clump of stuff, or is it tiny?

She also has small clumps of poop/food stuck on her toenails. Will she get these off or do I need to try to remove them? Do chickens clean themselves??

The other two chicks don't have any of this mess on them.

Total newbie questions, I know. I really appreciate this website and all the wonderful info. Any advice on Clotile's cleanliness will be most appreciated. Thanks!

 

[buckabucka]

It seems like good questions to me. Sorry I can't be very helpful, as I am a newbie also. Our chicks will arrive tomorrow or Wednesday!!!!

I imagine it couldn't hurt to clean her off a little, just in case.

Good luck on your chicken adventure!

 

[elmo]

Better safe than sorry. I'd get a little dish of warm water, some paper towels or tissues, some q tips, and clean her up gently. Use the wet paper towels or tissues to moisten the poo so you can gently remove it. Careful not to pull something that's still dried and stuck onto her little feathers or skin. Just keep wetting it with the wet paper towels or tissues and it will soften up enough to come off. And while you're at it, go ahead and clean her toes, too, the same way.

If the poo dries over the cloaca (that's the bum hole), the droppings can't come out and the chick can die. I noticed one of mine had pasty butt this morning, and as I cleaned off her little bum she began to have a huge (I mean huge...for a tiny bantam chick) poop. The poor little thing.

After you get yours cleaned up, check her rear regularly (like twice a day, morning and evening...or even more frequently if you can) to see if the problem is coming back. My chick was fine before she settled in for the night; she got backed up between then and mid morning today. So it can get bad pretty fast.

Bet you never thought you'd be wiping chick butts, eh?

 

[Three Cedars Silkies]

It seems that some chicks have it worse and longer than others. I had one that I had to clean up everyday and put vaseline on it's butt to keep the poo from sticking for at least 7-9 days. Then it stopped.

 

[Laurajean]

If there's dried poop all over their bum, they're probably pasting up. Even if not, no harm in removing the poop from their bum. Doesn't matter what color it is, if there's a clump of poop on the bum, you need to remove it. DO NOT be tempted to pull it off!! This can injure the vent of the chick. Either dip their bum in warm water, or dip a Q tip in olive oil or vaseline, and slowly work it off.

I wouldn't waste time determining what is and isn't pasting up. I would remove whatever is on the bum so that they can poop. With young chicks, hours matter.

 

[cuckoo_orpington13]

Adding olive oil really helps, this did well for my own chick.

 

[YolandaT]

Ok I wiped off her little bum with a warm paper towel and qtip, and a few seconds later she pooped and gave a happy cheep. I'm still not sure she was pasted up or just dirty but I was glad to see her excreting normally.

Thank you so much! I love reading these boards for all the "real-world" help!

 

[bakerjw]

Try doing this with Silver Sebright chicks. I had 2 that were pasted up a bit last night and they were harder to keep control of than a 2 year old on a sugar high. They were better this morning but I think that I'll have another battle on my hands in the morning.