Icelandic Chickens

[Happy Chooks]

When I hatched mine from Mary, I fed them chick starter just like any other chick. They did just fine.

 

[kathyinmo]

Lynn,
I just use plain ol' Chick Starter for the Icelandics. I do not use chick grit until they are older. Pasty butt can be from the heat light also. Do they have a cooler area in the brooder, not all heated? I do give them yogurt mixed in with chick starter a couple days a week.
Good luck!

 

[Greybear23]

Thanks all, will try some other things, boiled eggs, yogurt, I think my light is ok. thanks again, Lynn

 

[The Sheriff]

I think Lynn got her chicks from NotAFarm Mary but it shouldn't matter because they are all Icelandics. I have only had a very few incidents of pasty butt in my group s of babies and that was after they got chilled during a power outage. I have not had any episodes of chicks dying for no reason. I only lost two of the ones that chilled. I wonder if it had more to due with the time of year than anything else. I have almost routinely used ChikSaver in their drinking water for the first few days. I also give them pulverized scrambled eggs in the beginning too mixed with a tiny bit of plain yogurt. I was given a tip a while back that I think works wonders for preventing pasty butt. Put a small dish of sand in the brooder. I was always having problems with pasting up in my non Icelandics and the sand pretty much eliminated the problem. You definitely need to add the sand if you feed anything other than chick starter. They need the grit.

For you lethargic baby can you give him water with a syringe or eyedropper. I have held the bird in my hand then gently opened the beak with the same hand and dropped some water on the tip of the beak. Sometimes they don't want it but usually they do. Pedialyte works great too if you have it. I buy it in the freezer pops style and just keep them frozen until I have a chick that needs it. Much cheaper this way and you always have it on hand and not outdated.

All that being said I am sorry you lost one. Just know it's not your fault and move on. Don't give up on the sick one. I carried one around in my pocket stiff for an hour planning to discard it when I got back up to the house. Then I realized it was alive. I got it through many horrible days but I honestly don't know which one it is today.

Good luck and keep us posted.

 

[Asgard Farms]

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When mine get pasty but it's usually cured by adding more grit for them. The grit keeps their poo not so pasty. Just my experience. Mike

This last brood, I tried putting course sand in the brooder insted of pine flakes.
It worked great! The ate some - took dust bath's in it - it stayed nice and warm for their little feet

easy to clean too - used a little scoop designed for reptiles. kept the brooder spick & span

 

[AK Michelle]

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Cheryl they are gorgeous! I love the 2nd one! He's going to be a charmer

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As the mother of TWO teenage girls, I can see how that might seem like a good idea.

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Mary, I had one that kinda looked like angle wings and when I really looked at her wings she had feathers on her upper "arms" and on her lower "arms" but none around her "elbow" but then the feathers came in and now all looks just as normal as can be. I thought it was odd since it was just the one out of 14, but then I got distracted by how much fun they are and forgot all about it

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Jake I can SOOOO relate to what you are saying. I was informed yesterday by H2B that I have the cart in front of the horse.

What horse? There's a cart? He said he had a dream that the Icelandics were roosting in the rafters of the new coop while he was trying to frame it and instead of having a shiny clean finished product to give them they - uh - cusomized it all throughout construction.

Of course all I heard was I get a new coop YAY!!!

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Love that color!!!!

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You are a true inspiration

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Interesting, I may have to go get some course sand. DD#2 is always whining about being able to smell the brooder. The chicks always spill their water and once the shavings get wet they do smell more strongly. I bet the sand/gravel is much better from that perspective.

 

[Mahonri]

I've found that most often pasty butt is caused by too high of temps in the brooder.

 

[NotAFarm]

Lynn, Sorry to hear about the two chicks. This doesn't seem to be something that has expressed itself in any other Icelandics so far. I've read that pasty butt is due to stress of some kind. Too cold, too hot, shipping, over crowding, feeding issues, etc. I have meat chicks shipped in and always use electrolytes in the water and make sure they are drinking before feeding anything. First meal is plain yogurt mixed with chick starter and then chick starter free choice with plenty of space for everyone to eat at the same time. Never had any problems with pasty butt and have only lost three total out of the three batches of cornish x and one batch of Freedom Rangers that I've gotten. I hope you figure it out!!

 

[kathyinmo]

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This has been my experience, also. I am sure there may be other causes, but this is what I have experienced.

 

[LisaNH]

My strategy for pasty-bum is cayenne pepper in the baby food. Lyle Behl told me to do that when I first got my eggs from him. I've hatched probably 1000 Icies.