New Chicken Mama here

[Waters-flock]

Two more questions, please.
I had one girl with pasty butt yesterday and cleaned it up carefully. She is more active now but when I checked her, she had the beginnings of pasty butt again. I cleaned her up again (easier, right, to get it before it hardens) but this afternoon, it looks like she's got a little something starting again. Is that normal or should I keep cleaning her up as I find it.

Second question is about grooming in general. A few of the girls had poop drying on their feet. I got them and again and got it off but had to soften it with water. Eventually, do they learn to groom themselves or is this unusual?

Please realize that today is my second day of having them and I cleaned the brooder out completely today because it was pretty dirty. Just checking to see if cleaning this often will help them stay cleaner, or if my girls are just pooping more than normal. Again, I am totally an overthinker. Thanks in advance.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Two more questions, please.
I had one girl with pasty butt yesterday and cleaned it up carefully. She is more active now but when I checked her, she had the beginnings of pasty butt again. I cleaned her up again (easier, right, to get it before it hardens) but this afternoon, it looks like she's got a little something starting again. Is that normal or should I keep cleaning her up as I find it.

Second question is about grooming in general. A few of the girls had poop drying on their feet. I got them and again and got it off but had to soften it with water. Eventually, do they learn to groom themselves or is this unusual?

Please realize that today is my second day of having them and I cleaned the brooder out completely today because it was pretty dirty. Just checking to see if cleaning this often will help them stay cleaner, or if my girls are just pooping more than normal. Again, I am totally an overthinker. Thanks in advance.

Clean up the pasty butt any time you see it, to ensure she can keep pooping without issue.

Chickens in general poop a LOT. And they'll step in it. What type of bedding/flooring are you using in the brooder? Depending on what you use, and chick density per sq ft, you may need to clean out the brooder frequently, or occasionally, or not at all. I don't clean out my brooder but my set up is probably quite different than yours.

 

[Waters-flock]

Clean up the pasty butt any time you see it, to ensure she can keep pooping without issue.

Chickens in general poop a LOT. And they'll step in it. What type of bedding/flooring are you using in the brooder? Depending on what you use, and chick density per sq ft, you may need to clean out the brooder frequently, or occasionally, or not at all. I don't clean out my brooder but my set up is probably quite different than yours.

My chicks are in a puppy play pen, which seems fine for eight girls. In a few days, I have an area in the yard they can play in for an hour or so during warm weather.

For the first day, I just had pee pads down so they couldn’t slip. Next time, I’ll go straight to putting regular bedding down from the beginning. That was a mess, very quickly. That may be why the poop was sticking to feet, because there wasn’t anything to absorb the material. On day two, I put hemp down and they seem much happier.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Next time, I’ll go straight to putting regular bedding down from the beginning. That was a mess, very quickly. That may be why the poop was sticking to feet, because there wasn’t anything to absorb the material. On day two, I put hemp down and they seem much happier.

Makes sense. I get why people use pee pads or paper towels, things like that, as the chicks won't eat it, but it does mean there's nothing to absorb poop.

I just provide grit right away, that way if they eat some of the bedding (since they seem inclined to do so) there's less risk of crop impaction.

 

[Waters-flock]

I did provide grit on day two just in case. And they all seem to be thriving over the last two days. I have 7 out of the 8 running around, eating, drinking, climbing, and then going for a nap. My 8th girl (we call her Winny), who keeps having pasty butt, doesn't come out often. I see her out for a minute but doesn't eat much or drink much. She seems to be smaller than the rest so I don't think she is eating or drinking enough. I am considering putting her in a separate area so she can eat and drink uninterrupted but I need to go out to get a heat source for the container. Should I leave her alone to work things out or would this help her to grow as fast as the others? My thought was to put her back in the larger area at night to sleep with the rest.

Please - any suggestions would be really appreciated.

 

[rosemarythyme]

I would leave her with the others and watch to see if she's able to eat and drink without being bullied - if they don't crowd her away from food/water, then she can safely stay with them.

If you can get Poultry Nutri-Drench, that's really a great pick-up for chicks or hens that are a bit lethargic with no known cause. You can direct dose a few drops into her mouth, just be careful to let her drink down the droplets rather than try to force it, as they can easily aspirate.

 

[Waters-flock]

Thank you for the advice. I ordered what you suggested for next time. Sadly, I won’t need it this time. I woke this morning and she was dead. I have no idea what happened and I’m so sad. I’m worried that someone more experienced could have helped her. She wasn’t thriving. I worry that I handled her too much, trying to keep up with cleaning her pasty butt. I watched that she ate and drank but not nearly as much as the others. She stayed under the heat most of the day. I’m so sad. I know this is part of what I signed up for but the reality of losing one of “my girls” has shaken me.

 

[nicolekathryn]

Thank you for the advice. I ordered what you suggested for next time. Sadly, I won’t need it this time. I woke this morning and she was dead. I have no idea what happened and I’m so sad. I’m worried that someone more experienced could have helped her. She wasn’t thriving. I worry that I handled her too much, trying to keep up with cleaning her pasty butt. I watched that she ate and drank but not nearly as much as the others. She stayed under the heat most of the day. I’m so sad. I know this is part of what I signed up for but the reality of losing one of “my girls” has shaken me.

I'm so sorry about your Winny. We started with 6 chicks last year and one died in an accident in the coop and it was SO sad but honestly in retrospect it's made us better chicken owners. We aren't so terrified anymore now that we have experienced that, and we are smarter about keeping them safe. I know you are sad but you are right, this is just part of the chicken journey. It sounds like you really did everything you could. I hope your other chicks turn out just fine.

 

[Waters-flock]

The rest all seem to be doing fine - all eating, drinking, making a mess and getting more and more curious. And they are a little bigger each day.

 

[Chickassan]

Hi, can I ask if you are feeding dry chick crumble or if you are mixing water in to make a mash?
The mash method helps a ton with ease of digestion and stops a lot of poop problems before they start.
Brooder bedding, alfalfa hay is awesome.
They'll eat it, love it too and it is so good for them.
Their feet will stay clean and it smells very nice.