new babies pasty butts!

[Ariesmom]

I just hatched 15 baby keets 2 days ago and read that they cannot be on pine shavings til 2 weeks old. Alot of people suggested towels and switching them out for clean ones when dirty so this is what I'm doing. How in the world do you keep THEM clean when all they do is huddle in a corner and poop while bundled up together...I have at least 2 or 3 that have poop glued to their rears and I feel if they were on something absorbent it wouldn't get like this...any ideas on what else to put them on? And how bad is it when they get a little build up of poo?? I've always done chickens and never had this problem....is it common with keets? And one looks like it has spraddle legs....will it go away or is he doomed to be handicapped?? He can straighten up and walk but always seems to end up doing a split...

 

[PeepsCA]

In my experience with keets having pasty butt it is usually caused by incorrect temps (usually too low, and also from the stress from having a rough time during shipping)... but since you hatched these guys, the brooder temp may be the issue so make sure they have a temp of 95 degrees under the lamp, measure the temp on the floor by laying a thermometer directly under the glow. If they are huddling, they may be cold. Are they noisy? Noisy keets are usually cold keets. A larger brooder might help them from piling too, with the heat at one end only so they can find their own comfort zone.

Pasty but can clog up and kill the keets if you don't remove it... Carefully soak off the poop with a warm wet cotton ball, pat the area dry and apply mineral or even corn oil to the vent area to keep more poop from sticking. Then keep an eye on those keets until it's no longer a problem. Toxins will build up and can kill the pasty butt/blocked keets quickly.

As far as bedding goes, keep using the old towels if possible, change them as often as you can. They really do need good footing the first few days while their legs and feet are still developing and strengthening (I use rubberized shelf liner and change it 2-3 times a day for the first 3 days or so... but yah, it's a lot of work!). They will become more active in the next couple of days and then you can put them on coarse straw as long as you see them eating and drinking well. But I would definitely avoid shavings for at least 2 wks. Chances are they will eat them now, and can definitely die from that..

Splayed legs will not go away, and will only get worse if not corrected. The hip joint has been injured and stretched allowing the leg to splay out, you will have to brace the keet's legs to hold them correctly in place, the correct space apart, ASAP. The longer you wait the less chance you have of fixing the keet. Compare the distance the legs need to be apart with a normal healthy keets. I use a strip of vetwrap, some use regular band aids cut lengthwise, some use pip cleaners... but If you do a BYC search for splayed leg, it will pull up several methods to try. Usually a keet with braced legs needs a little extra help learning how to walk with the brace on, and should be braced for 2-3 days or until the brace comes off and you see the keet walking/running as normal. You also want to make sure it's able to eat and drink... you may have to dip it's beak several times a day to make sure it stays hydrated until it learns to cope with the leg brace.

Good luck, hope that helps!

 

[MTerry]

I think the rubber shelf liner is better for the keets running around, and is easier to wipe up the poop. In between changing it, I just keep wiping up with damp paper towels, many times a day.

 

[karcnck]

So glad I found this and now can treat two of my newly hatched 11 keets. I have them on flannel to keep them dry and it seems to be working well. It's a pain to change a few times a day but washes easily and helps to keep the babies from getting wet. I am going to go wash their little tiny hineys and put some vegetable oil around the vents to help keep it from getting pasty again. I am sure it is stress from bringing them home.