Is It Worth It To Try To Save A Chick With Pasty Butt?

[The Monkey Mama]

[This is a 7 month old thread that has been resurrected for some reason. If you want an update on what happened with these chicks, I updated on page 3. I'm not looking for more advice now.]


I've hatched close to 100 chicks in the last year and have been fortunate not to have a lot of pasty butt happening!

But I HAVE had 4 chicks with Pasty Butt and I'm not sure if I should try to save them.

The first one I had was a RIR chick and it pasted up and I soaked its bottom and rinsed it carefully and solved the pasty problem, but it never did grow right and it never seemed healthy or vigorous and it stayed MUCH smaller than its brother and at 9 weeks we just found it dead one day.

I have an Auracana chick right now that is 3 weeks old - it had pasty butt and I did the warm soak and gentle poo removal with it too - and it is still energetic but it hasn't grown any at all - the other chicks from that hatch TOWER over this little guy and he looks just like he did when he came out of his shell. I don't expect he's going to make it either.

Now I have 2 white leghorn chicks that hatched a few days ago and they are pasted up. I don't know if I should try to save them or just let nature "take its course". So far I haven't had good results with chicks I've tried to save....

What do you guys think? Have any of you helped a chick with pasty butt and had it go on to grow up and be healthy and strong? So far I feel like I've only prolonged their suffering by trying to help them.

Thanks!

Kelly

 

[MissPrissy]

I have had very few chicks with pasty butt. The ones I have treated have been fine and survived to be productive. Clean the vent, vaseline around to keep things from caking up and drying, clean water, vitamins and they blend in the bunch in a day or two.

 

[ncCHICKS]

Every chick deserves a chance. Weren't those x amount of weeks a good, healthy, happy life?

 

[MandyH]

If they are alive, you HAVE had luck with them. They need a draft free place to be, and that will cut down on the pasty butt.

 

[momofdrew]

I would try...just keep their butt cleaned and watch what they are eating...whne my silkie chicks were a week old one developed pasty butt and I cleaned it's bottom and 6 months later she has just given me her first egg...she is very healthy

 

[The Monkey Mama]

ncCHICKS, the one that lived 9 weeks actually seemed miserable and sick the whole 9 weeks. It was very sad.

I definitely feel like I prolonged his suffering, that's why I'm questioning whether it was a good idea to intervene.

For the 3 week old Araucana, it remains to be seen - that little one is still pretty active but does not seem to be thriving or growing.

They do have a draft free place [inside our house, in a deep brooder box, with a heat lamp] and they have fresh water [changed twice daily] and they are eating Purina chick starter.

MissPrissy, thanks for the tip about the vaseline, I had not heard that before.

What vitamins do you give them?

Thanks!

Kelly

 

[bubbazmommy]

I had one chick with pasty butt and I cleaned it and made sure it stayed clean. I can not even tell now which chicken it was.

 

[MissPrissy]

liquid baby vitamins. poly-vi-sol - without iron. 5 drops per day by beak for 5 days.

 

[MandyH]

You can trim the fuzz from around their butt til they are a couple weeks old and that will help. I keep a syringe of baby oil in the incubator (so it will be warm) and apply a drop or two if I notice a problem. The baby oil will loosen the pasty and it will fall right off.

 

[chickbea]

I've had it happen a couple of times and they have grown up just fine. Maybe your little one had some other problems as well and that's why it eventually died - I'd give these three a shot. Good luck.