NEED HELP!

[little chick-y baby mama]

My chick has Terrible pasty butt and nothing is working!!! What do you recommend?! We're worried her vents
so clogged she might die if we don't do something

 

[NatJ]

My chick has Terrible pasty butt and nothing is working!!! What do you recommend?! We're worried her vents
so clogged she might die if we don't do something

Carefully grab the hard lump of poop, and slowly pull it off, starting at one side.
Yes, your fingers will get poopy.
Yes, the chick will hate it.
Yes, it will pull the fuzz off the chick's back end.
If you are careful, it will not actually rip the skin of the chick.
(No, I'm not suggesting this to be cruel. Even going slowly and carefully, it's faster than soaking. And by pulling off the fuzz with the poop, there is less for new poop to stick to. I would not do it if the poop is stuck all over the back half of the chick, but usually the stuck poop is only attached to a small area of fuzz.)


If that sounds too awful, go back to soaking or using a wet cloth. Think about how warm a baby chick is, and try to use water that warm so the chick doesn't get chilled. Maybe 100 degrees fahrenheit, if you want to check with a thermometer.

Chicks always hate having their butts cleaned, but there can be a point when it needs doing or else the chick dies. It sounds like you might be at that point. Of course, you could just cull (kill) the chick, but that seems a bit drastic at this point.

 

[the_peanut_coop]

Exposing the vent by pulling off fuzz will just encourage others to peck, resulting in further problems.

Ive never had pecking problems with exposed fuzz

 

[JustAChickenLoverOverHere]

tried that, man. She hates it

It doesn't matter if she hates it. She hates everything.

 

[Ebony Rose]

I bet she'll hate it, but like it better than death. Check the heat in her brooder, might be too warm.

 

[Blue Raptor]

I soak her bottom in warm tap water until the poop is soft, then I wipe it off. She may hate the wiping, but usually they like the warmth of the water. This always works for me.

 

[the_peanut_coop]

“Ameraucana”

What? Did I spell it wrong, darn I get corrected frikin every day

 

[NatJ]

Exposing the vent by pulling off fuzz will just encourage others to peck, resulting in further problems.

Hasn't happened to me yet.
The amount of fuzz that comes off with the poop is usually quite small.
But even on the rare occasions when more fuzz gets removed and the butt is kind of bare, I've never yet had a chick pecked as a result.

 

[chickentrains]

clean her butt every time it gets gross. She'll hate it but will get over it

 

[CHlCKEN]

I recommend finding an old toothbrush and gently scrubbing the vent area after splashing it in lukewarm water. Try to get as much off as you can, and make sure before you return her to the brooder she’s dry enough that her vent is not exposed. Chicks and chickens instinctively peck anything the color red, and her backend will be very inviting for that if not given a chance to dry off enough.