New chick mama:)

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nicole55k

nicole55k

Hatching
5 Years
Jan 12, 2015
4
0
7
Hi everyone my name is Nicole.... I brand new to the chicken scene, as in this is night number 1 with them in my kitchen.... I think we have most of it under control but I do have a few questions if anyone would be willing to share your knowledge.
First of all this pasty butt issue, I have already had to give one of the chicks a "bath" to remove a large clump of feces and happened to get pooped on in the process lol... What I am wondering is if it's ok to be getting them a bit wet to do this? I'm very nervous about the temperature issues and don't want to cause any issues.
I also was wondering about how much the chicks should be handled? Mine are approx 4-5 days old so we are taking it easy on them right now but will it make them better with people or should I say better with my kids if they get used to them better?
We have big plans for the coop to be finished once it gets a bit warmer up here in MN and we started small with a mixture of 5.... Hoping that we have all females but the store gave us 90% odds so we will see. Thank you again for giving me your time and knowledge I have learned so much reading your posts the past few weeks!
 
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welcome-byc.gif
Glad you joined us.

Regarding pasty butt: when my chicks were babies I used a small bowl of warm water, set them down in it for a short time, and used paper towels to clean them and dry them and placed them back in brooder they dried quite quickly with the warmth in there. Had to repeat on 2 chicks a couple of times. They were not stressed by the warm sitz bath, but did not like the wiping.

I would limit the amount of handling, but make sure children are monitored when they do. Let the chicks walk on their hands and don't keep them out of the brooder long. There's plenty of time to build the trust and love of the new flock.

Good luck with your new babies, have fun.

If you haven't done so, visit the learning center on raising baby chicks.

Feel free to ask questions, we're here to help.
 
Thanks for getting back to me, I appreciate the advice. The sitz bath concept is what I did I was just concerned that she would not leave her bottom alone after the chunk had been removed... I had read somewhere to put Vaseline on their bottom?!?
Other than that I think they are happy, how would I tell if they are or not? I have so many questions but I'm trying to pace myself:) thank you again!

Nicole
 
:goodpost:

What I have done is usually just clean their buts off with a damp towell they usually dont have this probelm once they are very much older in my experience. It can be a split issue on whether to handle them more or less at that age. I hatched mine and handled them after 24 - 48 hours. I handled them every fee hours to get them very accustomed to being held and they are usually much easier to hold when their older i feel when they are handled quote often as chicks. They didnt seem to mind and fell asleep all the time in my hands. I guess really its up to you the older they get the longer you can hold them i feel the 1 week mark they are past some of the scarier things that can happen to them and can handle them more at that point. All opinion though im sure some people might be wiser on the subject then me. have a great time with your chicks though and welcome to the community.
 
Hello there and welcome to BYC!
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Pasty butt can be caused from dehydration, over heating, being cold and stressed. So see if you can address these situations to help to clear it up.

Yes, it is ok to soak their butts in the water to clean them off and make sure you dry them off with a blow drier before placing them back into the brooder so they don't chill.

I like to use probiotics or even apple cider vinegar in the chicks water. Either of these really help to stop pasty butt. You can use human grade probiotics however the animal grade stuff is cheaper. But it all the same stuff. Follow the directions on the label for the animal grade probiotics or of you are using the human grade, just empty a capsule into a quart waterer, discard the empty capsule, and fill with water.

For the apple cider vinegar, or ACV, 3/4 teaspoon of ACV per one quart of water and use a plastic container only. You will need to change both the ACV and the probiotics daily and make a fresh batch.

Make sure to keep your heat off to one side and the food and water off on the other so they have to leave the heat to get to the goods. Use a reliable thermometer and place it on the floor directly beneath the heat source. They are awful tiny yet! Have you dipped each of their beaks in the water so they know where it is?? And lay some paper towels down and sprinkle food all around the feeder area so they know where the food is kept. You have to help babies along a bit for a few days. You can remove the towels in a few days when they all know where the food is.

Don't cover your brooder with anything but a screen or wire and make sure the brooder is not too small. About 1/2 square foot per bird gives them places to cool off as well as stay warm. Start your heat out around 90 degrees and lower it by 5 degrees each week.

Good luck with your babies and welcome to our flock!
 

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