My five day old Rhode Island Reds seem happy and comfortable- eating, drinking, moving around freely, and pooping, pooping, pooping! This afternoon, for the first time, I noticed some poop stuck to the backsides of two out of the dozen (no such problems before). I carefully soaked their backsides with warm water on paper towels. Neither of them seemed to have blocked vents, but a bit of crusted poop above and below the vent. An hour or two later, one showed no sign of stuck-on poop. One seems to have lost some feathers around the vent, and the vent seems a bit red and enlarged. (feathers are still wet in this photo)
Should I be concerned? These are my first chickens... I'm doing my best to keep their brooder clean and warmed appropriately (in the 90-95 range with a light)
Thanks!
Should I be concerned? These are my first chickens... I'm doing my best to keep their brooder clean and warmed appropriately (in the 90-95 range with a light)
Thanks!
