I'm worried about my baby's butt

[Allie]

Hi, I'm new!

On to more serious matters though....I just purchased 3 beautiful chicks who are 11 days old now (wow, where does the time go?)....

My biggest seemingly strongest chick has a scabby thing on it's butt. I am checking daily for cakey poop...and this is the first time I noticed anything. At first I thought it was poop and pulled some off when I realized it was kind of raw underneath. I suppose the poop could just be making the skin look raw by irritating it. Or maybe it is a scab. It's really hard to tell. Other than that the chick is eating, drinking and moving around like normal. She does seem to be straining a bit to poop though (some poop was coming out, but she just kind of pooped half of the way).

Man, I was so sick of being pooped on, and now all I want is for her to do that. Do any of you have an idea of what it could be? Is there anything I can put on her but to soothe it?

Also, I've probably used the word "poop" far too many times for a first post.

 

[silkiechicken]

Welcome!

Make sure the little guy is getting enough water. Perhaps some water added to some feed would help make sure it is hydrated enough. If it was coming out of the vent and getting stuck, it was likly poop that irritated the skin.

The condition of poo sticking to the bum is called pasty butt, and is very common if chicks get chilled.

ETA: If you are unsure of how to describe, posting pics is a good way to show everyone what you are seeing. There are pics of poos and wounds in this section, so if it's something incredibly graphic, just say so in the title of the thread.

 

[MoodyChicken]

What are you feeding it? Baby chicks can get constipated if fed too many treats their first few weeks. I would quickly pull it off, like a bandaid, and put some neosporin on it. and like silkiechicken said, be sure to have water readily available. Put some blue food coloring in it, the chicks like it better.

 

[silkiechicken]

Ouch! Wet it down and slowly work it out with warm water if it is poo, ripping it off may risk tearing the skin.

 

[Allie]

No treats...just starter feed. I will pull it off (slowly with mineral oil) and put some ointment on it though. They have access to all the fresh water in the world, but maybe I'll try and feed her a bit of fruit or something high in water. Thanks! I'll update with pics if anything changes. I'm really happy that this amazing resource full of all you chicken encyclopedias exists

 

[Allie]

The update is that I cleaned it with mineral oil (definitely is a scab/ flakey skin)...then cleaned with rubbing alcohol, and then put antibiotic ointment on. It's really inflamed. The other chicks aren't picking at it though since scabby butt is by far the biggest and most bossy of the chicks. I'm just watching in...but of course as a first time chicken mom, I'm worried. I know I shouldn't play favorites, but I have by far bonded most with miss scabby butt.

 

[silkiechicken]

I'd still keep an eye out for picking. Something useful to pick up would be called blue kote. It's good for wounds and disguising things that might look fun to pick at (from a chicks point of view anyways). Make sure they have enough space and fun things to do in the brooder just in case they are getting bored and picking at the top chick when it's facing the other way.