How to clean baby chicks backside?

[Harun]

I recently started raising 4 baby bantam chicks; I'm quite new to it with not much experience and realized their events or backsides are slightly dirty. My question is, how do I clean them without stressing the chicks in anyway? I want to make sure I clean them right so I'm coming to you chicken keepers for help. Here's a picture of a chick that looks real bad. Hopefully you can help. Thanks.
– Harun

 

[azygous]

Got cotton balls? This requires a little time and patience, but trying to scrub a baby bottom can irritate and inflame a delicate vent and make it swell up.

Have a little cup of warm water with a tiny drop of Dawn in it handy along with a two or three cotton balls. Pick up the chick and cradle it and speak calmly to it until it is relaxed.

Wet a cotton ball in the water and hold it against the crust to wet and soften it. It takes about a minute to soften it.

Dab at the soiled butt until the crust is mostly liquid, then use the other cotton ball to blot the poop off the down surrounding the vent. Just dab. Don't rub.

If the brooder is warm, place the chick back to dry. If you brood outdoors as I'm doing at the moment, blow dry the wet butt. No, the noise will not frighten the chick. You will be surprised if your were concerned about that.

 

[NatJ]

My question is, how do I clean them without stressing the chicks in anyway?

Any kind of cleaning will stress the chicks.

Look carefully--if the poop covers the vent, you must clean it so the chick can poop.
If the poop is stuck below the vent but not over it, so the chick is able to poop, you can choose to leave it alone or clean it.

I see azygous gave a good description of one way to clean a chick's butt.

For small amounts of dried poop, I have a much faster way: I carefully pull it off. This usually pulls out the fuzzy down that was stuck to the poop, but I am careful to make sure the skin does not rip too. Of course the chick peeps and acts unhappy--it probably hurts as much as having your hair pulled. But I think it causes less stress to the chick, because it is over so much faster. But I do this only for small amounts of poop. If the chick had a giant mess all over its back end, I would go for soaking it off.

 

[Harun]

Any kind of cleaning will stress the chicks.

Look carefully--if the poop covers the vent, you must clean it so the chick can poop.
If the poop is stuck below the vent but not over it, so the chick is able to poop, you can choose to leave it alone or clean it.

I see azygous gave a good description of one way to clean a chick's butt.

For small amounts of dried poop, I have a much faster way: I carefully pull it off. This usually pulls out the fuzzy down that was stuck to the poop, but I am careful to make sure the skin does not rip too. Of course the chick peeps and acts unhappy--it probably hurts as much as having your hair pulled. But I think it causes less stress to the chick, because it is over so much faster. But I do this only for small amounts of poop. If the chick had a giant mess all over its back end, I would go for soaking it off.

I cleaned it up and saw a red dot, like blood in its vent. Is that bad or is it normal, as the supposed "blood" wasn't coming out. I assume it's normal but was just curious.

 

[NatJ]

I cleaned it up and saw a red dot, like blood in its vent. Is that bad or is it normal, as the supposed "blood" wasn't coming out. I assume it's normal but was just curious.

The inner part of the vent is sort of pinkish red normally, but not really red like blood usually would be.

Chicken blood is the same color as human blood, so just think what it looks like when you cut yourself or have a bloody nose: that color is not normal on or in a chicken's vent.

I would probably keep an eye on it but not do anything if the chick seems fine. Watch to see if the chick produces normal droppings and acts normal. Bloody droppings usually mean a problem, and a chick that sits all huddled up is often sick. But a perky, active chick with normal droppings is probably fine.

 

[MeowthLover_ThatsRight]

I recently started raising 4 baby bantam chicks; I'm quite new to it with not much experience and realized their events or backsides are slightly dirty. My question is, how do I clean them without stressing the chicks in anyway? I want to make sure I clean them right so I'm coming to you chicken keepers for help. Here's a picture of a chick that looks real bad. Hopefully you can help. Thanks.
– Harun

damp paper towels to massage to poops off, VERY gently. you dont want to hurt them.

 

[oellian]

I cleaned it up and saw a red dot, like blood in its vent. Is that bad or is it normal, as the supposed "blood" wasn't coming out. I assume it's normal but was just curious.

This could be the remnants of the attachment to the yolk. This is a VERY delicate feature, so don't mess with it if you don't have to. I have heard stories of woe.

 

[NatJ]

This could be the remnants of the attachment to the yolk. This is a VERY delicate feature, so don't mess with it if you don't have to. I have heard stories of woe.

Good point.

The vent is up high, just under the tail. The spot where the yolk attaches is down lower and people sometimes mistake it for the vent. Definitely leave that spot alone!

 

[Harun]

The inner part of the vent is sort of pinkish red normally, but not really red like blood usually would be.

Chicken blood is the same color as human blood, so just think what it looks like when you cut yourself or have a bloody nose: that color is not normal on or in a chicken's vent.

I would probably keep an eye on it but not do anything if the chick seems fine. Watch to see if the chick produces normal droppings and acts normal. Bloody droppings usually mean a problem, and a chick that sits all huddled up is often sick. But a perky, active chick with normal droppings is probably fine.

Well it was a light red color, not a dark red. It poops normally too. Sorry, the way I worded the "blood red" was misleading.

 

[Harun]

Good point.

The vent is up high, just under the tail. The spot where the yolk attaches is down lower and people sometimes mistake it for the vent. Definitely leave that spot alone!

If it is a Yolk remnant I'll make sure to leave it. Thanks for your feedback!