Pasting

[Hambone]

I have some chicks with pasting. I cleaned them off but the poo is still on their feathers but their vents are clear.

 

[zatsdeb]

warm water on a paper towel usually helps loosen up the poo. as long as they can poop they should be ok, and the other birds don't start picking at the poo that is stuck to their behinds!

 

[Hambone]

I'm new to this. I should of checked them when I brought them home yesterday. I didn't think about it. I did just now clear their vents. There were about five of sixteen that had it. Should this stop in a few days?

 

[Sugar Sand Farm]

stress sometimes causes it I usually dip their butts in a bowl of warm water and gently remove all the poop. Then I separate them until they dry. Try putting some baby grit in with their food I find that helps. Dont feel bad it can be easily missed I found another one of mine yesterday. and they are 1 week old today.

 

[Hambone]

Quote:
Thank you. I will try that.

 

[elmo]

It can develop fast, too. One of mine had it last week. She was fine in the afternoon, but was pasted up badly by around 11 a.m. the next morning. So now I check everyone's butt twice a day.

 

[dumb_cluck]

Seems like the pattern for this pasting (according to the posts I've read so far) is either because of a draft, too hot, stress or poor diet.
Is there anyone who knows exactly what causes it?

 

[zatsdeb]

Quote:
I think it has something to do with eating too much food and not enough water. try putting sugar in the water, just a teaspoon, it sweetens the water and gives them a boost to help stress. I think it makes them drink more water because it is sweet also. Just like a person! if we don't drink enough water we get constipated!

 

[Toi-toi]

Put sugar in the water??
I thought sugar is hard to digest for chicks... No???

 

[fastpat]

Quote:
I put sugar in my chicks water along with a balanced vitamin and electrolyte mixture for the first several days, then discontinued it. I put the vitamin mixture in for the first two weeks, then discontinued that too.

I had butt pasting for up to two weeks, four or five birds out of all of them, then it stopped and has not reoccurred. It seems to be related to how forceful the chick can eject the waste, how solid the waste is, unique characteristics of each bird, and so forth. At almost seven weeks my chicks fecal matter varies all the time, from loose to very solid stools.