One baby chick with pasty butt

[kissimmeechicks]

I am a new chicken owner and am so excited to have my first flock of baby chicks that we picked up froma local farm store on Wednesday 3/17. I researched for 2 months and prepared as much as possible for these chicks and I am now completely in love with my small flock of 7 ( 2 Easter Eggers, 2 RIR’s, 2 Black Australorps, and a Cinnamon Queen). They are all eating and drinking and running around as normal but I’m concerned with one, who I think is on the smaller end even though they were born the same day.



She’s been waking up with pasty butt for 2 days in a row and we tried vaseline around the vent, which did help with her having none when she woke up but later in the day she did have some poop stuck. She doesn’t appear sick as I see her run around, eat, and drink normally. Some of the down feathers around her bum have come out.. don’t know if its from the other chicks pecking or removing the small amounts of stuck on poop but its not bloody or super red and it’s only visible when I pull back her fur. I haven’t noticed the others with the same issue and they have all been eating a medicated 18% protein start and grow by purina and have had a SMALL pinch of electrolytes/vitamins/probiotics plus less than a cap full of ACV in their water since I’ve had them. I’m thinking of stopping the ACV and doing only the electrolytes for a while to see if that changes. They are using a radiant brooder heat plate and are kept in an area where they get sunlight during the day but also have more than enough shade if needed. Am I missing something? Any comments/tips/advice is appreciated because as I said I am new to this. Thanks in advance!

I’ve also attached a picture of their poop... does it look normal? Changing out the paper towel for pine shavings today.

 

[DobieLover]

Welcome to BYC!
Pasty butt is usually caused by being too hot. What is your heat source?
I would eliminate the ACV entirely. For now, offer plain clean water.
I have always fed a wet mash to the chicks. You can put the electrolytes and probiotics in the mash.
For this little one, offer her a few pcs of coconut oil 2 times a day for three days or so and see if that helps her.

 

[kissimmeechicks]

Welcome to BYC!
Pasty butt is usually caused by being too hot. What is your heat source?
I would eliminate the ACV entirely. For now, offer plain clean water.
I have always fed a wet mash to the chicks. You can put the electrolytes and probiotics in the mash.
For this little one, offer her a few pcs of coconut oil 2 times a day for three days or so and see if that helps her.

We have a radiant brooder by K&H... they don’t seem to be too warm as the chicks will come out and play then go back inside for a while then repeat all day till they “tuck themselves in” at night. Also what is pcs? Does the type of coconut oil matter?

 

[DobieLover]

We have a radiant brooder by K&H... they don’t seem to be too warm as the chicks will come out and play then go back inside for a while then repeat all day till they “tuck themselves in” at night. Also what is pcs? Does the type of coconut oil matter?

Pcs=pieces. Room temp coconut oil is solid unless it's very warm in the house. Just pure coconut oil. Nothing else in it. I use a small jar of organic coconut oil for many things.

 

[Bluebird4]

Solution for pasty but is to add 3/4 tsp of apple cider vinegar for a quart of water. You can add it to the communal waterer, it won’t hurt if other chicks don’t have pasty butt. If it doesn’t work, you can add more apple cider vinegar, up to 1 tsp. I recommend you try this electrolyte mix to prevent pasty butt in the future:

per 1 quart water

4 cups warm water
2tbsp + 1 tsp white granulated sugar or molasses
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar
OPTIONAL: 1/2 tsp potassium chloride


Only feed this to chicks while they are in the brooder. Once they move out, it’s best to move to a store bought electrolyte mix. Just add this to their water. The best way to find potassium chloride is to find a salt substitute in the store. Just adjust the recipe to the size of your waterer. Hope this helps!!!

If you use your own electrolyte mix, I would add just the apple cider vinegar. You can also try mixing their feed into some scrambled eggs, plain, green yogurt or cornmeal.

 

[Kikkup1]

I am a new chicken owner and am so excited to have my first flock of baby chicks that we picked up froma local farm store on Wednesday 3/17. I researched for 2 months and prepared as much as possible for these chicks and I am now completely in love with my small flock of 7 ( 2 Easter Eggers, 2 RIR’s, 2 Black Australorps, and a Cinnamon Queen). They are all eating and drinking and running around as normal but I’m concerned with one, who I think is on the smaller end even though they were born the same day.



She’s been waking up with pasty butt for 2 days in a row and we tried vaseline around the vent, which did help with her having none when she woke up but later in the day she did have some poop stuck. She doesn’t appear sick as I see her run around, eat, and drink normally. Some of the down feathers around her bum have come out.. don’t know if its from the other chicks pecking or removing the small amounts of stuck on poop but its not bloody or super red and it’s only visible when I pull back her fur. I haven’t noticed the others with the same issue and they have all been eating a medicated 18% protein start and grow by purina and have had a SMALL pinch of electrolytes/vitamins/probiotics plus less than a cap full of ACV in their water since I’ve had them. I’m thinking of stopping the ACV and doing only the electrolytes for a while to see if that changes. They are using a radiant brooder heat plate and are kept in an area where they get sunlight during the day but also have more than enough shade if needed. Am I missing something? Any comments/tips/advice is appreciated because as I said I am new to this. Thanks in advance!

I’ve also attached a picture of their poop... does it look normal? Changing out the paper towel for pine shavings today.

Clean it with warm water gently,And don't pull on it,Let it soften with the warm water..

 

[topochico225]

I dealt with pasty butt in my 2 RIR chicks and 2 CQ chicks last May. Get a warm, damp paper towel, hold it on the chick's vent (don't pull or rub) to soften the droppings. As it softens, you may be able to GENTLY wipe some of it off. Fair warning, the chick may poop on you when you're done

 

[Bluebird4]

look at my post above, should answer your questions!