One of five new chicks died today and I don't know why?!

puddlejumper

In the Brooder
10 Years
Jun 27, 2009
18
0
32
I bought five, 2 week old chicks 2 weeks ago. I thought things were going along fine, although one has stayed smaller than the rest, until today. This morning I saw that the littlest chick seemed unsteady on her feet so I picked her up to take a closer look. Her little butt was caked with poop and she was very thin and week. I used a warm cloth to "de-cake" her behind and put her in a clean warm space where she promptly died. In retrospect, I guess I should have seen that she wasn't thriving like the others. She was the only gold laced wyandotte in the bunch and I thought maybe she was just several days younger than the rest or something so I wasn't worried...this is my first batch of chicks. Now I feel just terrible and I realize I have no idea what I am doing?! Should I be worried about the others? What else do I look for as far as signs of trouble? What could have happened to that one? I checked everybody else's butts this evening and all are clean as a whistle. I raised two children who are now 21 and 23...how hard can this chicken raising be???
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My daughter and I do a ritual pasty butt check every night with young chicks.


The small ones in particular are closely watched.

I had one that was a constant problem; I was soaking his heinie several times a day for some time. He is now my favorite rooster; comes running to me when I go outside. We bonded over pasty butt.
 
I wish I had known to check for the pasty butt thing...maybe I could've saved her.
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I'm probably gonna drive the others crazy turning them upside down now.....
 

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