New babies/pasty butt

[newtothis2011]

What do I do?? I got my babies today and I noticed 1 has poop stuck on them.

 

[SunnyCalifornia]

Check that little baby multiple times per day, and wash away the poop with warm water, and a gentle cloth. A little olive oil to the area can help prevent sticking, but its REALLY important to clean it often. Sometimes it takes a few days of constant cleaning, sometimes a few weeks, but they can recover perfectly well!

Check brooder temp too. Too cold can contribute to the problem.

Edit: I should have said "WIPE" away poo. You don't want to wet your chick unnecessarily.

 

[SIMPleChick]

No need to worry, google pasty butt and you will get a lot of threads and you tube videos even on how to care for chicks with pasty butt! Just wash it off and keep an eye on it! If it is really dry, sometimes you can break it apart with your fingernails, or just some warm water and a wash cloth. Most of them like the warm water. Just don't try to rubb off the umbilical cord that is a little under the vent. Good luck!
Oh yeah, I did use Olive oil on one baby where the little tiny feathers around the vent just wouldn't clean off, and they seemed like they were pulling, worked perfectly.

 

[Noobchick]

Is it a little poop or a lot? Where is it located?

If its covering and blocking their vent (the chicken equivilent of a butt), its very important to clean it off ASAP because chicks can die quickly if their vents arent clear of that blockage.

If thats the case, it depends on how hard the poop has become.

Id try wetting a paper towel with warm water, pressing it to the vent for a bit to soften the poop, then use that paper towel to gently work the poop loose.

There are other methods to try if the poop is too much or too hard to remove by that method but Id start with that one first.

 

[Noymira]

Quote:
That's what I did for 2 of my chicks twice a day for the first few days, after that they've had no future problems.

 

[rivers2011]

one of my chicks got a really nasty case of pasty butt and I warm water + paper towels didn't work. I had to ask my mother to hold the chick still while I snipped the poop off - some feathers below the tail had to be snipped off as well, but the problem didn't come back.