Is my chick sick?

[ShawnaScott]

I have never had chickens before, but I have always wanted them. I went to Rural King and got some Silky Bantams. I have them in my brooder, but one of them constantly has poo stuck and/or coming out of his butt. I am worried that he is sick. Is this normal, something that he will grow out of? Or is it more serious?

 

[Hillschicks]

Sounds like "pasty butt" i dont think its very serious.. Do a search for pasty butt im sure there is a thread just for that

 

[sumi]

It sounds like past butt. There are a number of causes for this, most likely stress or overheating. It can be fatal if undetected and untreated, the chick will not be able to relieve itself and will die. Sadly it's happened to me more than once. Not a good way to lose an otherwise healthy chick. What you can do is carefully clean the affected area, trim the fluff a bit if needed and apply some olive oil or vaseline to help prevent a recurrence. What also helps a lot is adding a splash of ACV (apple cider vinegar) to the chicks drink water. Organic, unfiltered ACV with the "mother" is the best, though I found other "supermarket" brands also work fairly well. I use a ratio of roughly 4-5 tablespoons to a gallon water.

 

[ShawnaScott]

Thanks guys! I soaked his butt in some water and cleaned it off. I also trimmed his feathers. He is a silkie chick and when I looked up paste butt I saw that it happened a lot with this type of chick. What is a "mother" brand of apple cider vinegar?

 

[sumi]

Braggs seems to be most popular brand amongst BYC members.

 

[boogburr37]

Aw I wanted some silkies, so cute! But you can also put Vaseline on his little bum and it keeps it from sticking and also if you give them a boiled egg that's all smashed up they love it! i found it helps with pasty butt also. Hope this helps!