Matted tummies... should I do something?

[Ladybirds9]

my 23 babies managed to knock their waterer over in the middle of the night... completely soaked the rice hulls they have for litter. the babies laid on the wet litter and now have dirty tummies with flecks of rice matted in. They seem happy but they sure don't LOOK too great. What, if anything, should I do to help them?

 

[debilorrah]

LOL!! Dont chicks do the most incredible things?? As long as they can breath, and it is not TOO matted, they are fine. It will grow out!

 

[cheshie]

Take some pictures, as you will want to remember these funny little things as they grow! I wish I had a video camera rolling when one of my week old chicks started chasing a bug on her first venture to the yard today. It was the most hilarious thing! Good luck with your little ones.

 

[WoodlandWoman]

As long as they're on dry litter now and under the brooder lamp, they should be fine.

Sometimes they knock things over more if they're too crowded and don't have enough room to keep out of each other's way. Other times, they just knock things over. Waterer's can be a little unsteady on litter, too. I like to have something like a brick on the bottom of the brooder to put the water on, with the litter around the brick. It's a little more stable for me. As they grow, I elevate the water to keep it clean, anyway. Just so the surface of the water is the height of the smallest chick's back.