Introducing my babies and a couple questions

junior67

Free Ranging
Jan 29, 2021
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First.... I am using a MHP should I have some type of light for night for them or should they sleep all night.

One had a tiny bit of pasty butt so I used a warm damp cloth and tried to get most of it off. She wasn't blocked at all just a tiny bit of poop stuck under. If any is still stuck in the am should I try again?
 

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As long as they are warm enough from the heating pad, they do not need an extra light for seeing. They naturally go to “roost” at night and sleep until dawn.

If it doesn’t stress her out too much, it’s probably best to get all the poo off and start ‘fresh’!
Thanks. I thought so with the light but wanted to be sure that when they were this young they didn't get up to eat or drink at night. They are all tucked in (until one daughter turned the hall light on that shined in to the room they are in and then a couple got up peeping and it took one a bit longer to calm down. hahaaa). Earlier when we turned the light out 2 of them stayed out peeping away so my daughter shoo'd them back under the heating pad and they went to sleep.

It didn't seem to be stressing her. I tucked her into one of my arms against my belly so she was nice and warm so she seemed to go to sleep while I was doing it. with it damp it was hard to see if I got it all since it was mainly just a little strip down under her butt. I also was afraid of getting her too wet and doing too much with just getting her today. I will try to get a pic of it tomorrow if there is anything there. She was trying to clean it up after I put her back (and would fall over trying to reach it. is that normal????)
 
Thanks. I thought so with the light but wanted to be sure that when they were this young they didn't get up to eat or drink at night. They are all tucked in (until one daughter turned the hall light on that shined in to the room they are in and then a couple got up peeping and it took one a bit longer to calm down. hahaaa). Earlier when we turned the light out 2 of them stayed out peeping away so my daughter shoo'd them back under the heating pad and they went to sleep.

It didn't seem to be stressing her. I tucked her into one of my arms against my belly so she was nice and warm so she seemed to go to sleep while I was doing it. with it damp it was hard to see if I got it all since it was mainly just a little strip down under her butt. I also was afraid of getting her too wet and doing too much with just getting her today. I will try to get a pic of it tomorrow if there is anything there. She was trying to clean it up after I put her back (and would fall over trying to reach it. is that normal????)
Yep, sounds like you're doing just right.
 
They are in my daughter room and she is still sleeping so didn't want to wake her up but got up and 7 of them were standing outside of the MHP just hanging out chirping quietly. Oh and they have all taken to the nipple waterers and have been eating as well.
 
The beauty of using a MHP is that the chicks can have a true day/night cycle. So yes they'll sleep at night and no you don't want a light on to try to keep them up to force them to eat.

Sounds like the pasty butt chick is doing fine, just keep checking her regularly to make sure that she's not getting more built up.
 
The beauty of using a MHP is that the chicks can have a true day/night cycle. So yes they'll sleep at night and no you don't want a light on to try to keep them up to force them to eat.

Sounds like the pasty butt chick is doing fine, just keep checking her regularly to make sure that she's not getting more built up.
Pasty butt chick is doing great today, nothing new and looked all clean (it is one of the Rosie/Annabelle ones. So glad she will have an actual name tomorrow when my granddaughter picks which one is Rosie. hahaaa).

But noticed a tiny bit on the other Rosie/Annabelle chick but just one little bit a tad lower so cleaned that. then Fajita had a decent amt so got her cleaned up, then noticed Taco had a good amt on her so got her all cleaned up. the rest are all clear so far. Just checking every day with each one to be sure and trying to clean if I notice any poop on their fluffy butt so it doesn't have a chance to built up if I can. I must have missed Taco yesterday with her spotted markings.
 
I have 2 waterers in with them and 1 has sav-a-chick in it the other is plain. I see them drinking from both all the time, they are eating well. Under the MHP fully but then back out to run play, eat, drink, peck at the cardboard box covering the sides of the crate (which sounds like someone knocking. LOL) so doesn't seem like the heating pad is too hot for them since they aren't at the edges. They settle in quietly and only really yell if just one is out and it wants someone to come play or when I first turn out the lights they may get loud.
is there anything else I should do for pasty butt? I am hoping that everyone is good now but JIC they aren't and more have it. I just got them Sat from the feed store.
 
I literally just searched your profile to see if you got those chicks and how it's going. Congratulations!! Cute pics and names.

We got our chicks in a similar way last year: working with the chicken lady at the local co-op so ours didn't have to be shipped separately from the hatchery. It was a nice way to ease into chickens because we kind of had a team at the co-op. We'd go in and share photos and brag on birds 😊

Keep an eye on the poopy booties, that the poop isn't blocking anything or building up too much. A little poop is okay and preferable to over-addressing it, potentially irritating or exposing their butts to pecking.

Sometimes it's hard to know where the line is between over- and under-addressing things, but you get a feel for it. And you've noticed how quiet they are when they're comfortable--they'll also tell you loud and clear if there's a problem.
 

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