Pasty Butt and dehydration questions

[syndie]

I have 25 barred rock chicks in my brooder with 25 GL wyndotte, bought from different places ( one tsc, other hatchery). The GL Wyndotte are doing fabulous, growing healthy, the barred rock not so much. Day three brings pasty butt, I cannot stay on top of it, I am quickly making some fermented feed and adding water to their starter feed too. They were all using a nipple system, which I thought was successful, but I got worried and put the water dish back in because I was afraid they were not getting enough water and becoming dehydrated. My question is what happens if the pasty butt gets the best of them? What else can I do? I'm trying to gently wipe and clean their bottoms. I even put some bag balm back there to soften things up and to try and prevent re occurrence. Any advice would be appreciated!

 

[Judy]

You've already done the first thing I would have suggested in adding a waterer. Obviously, plenty of fresh water is the first preventive. Another common contributor to dehydration and pasty butt is too high a temp in the brooder. A llittle too hot is more harmful than a little too cool. they should have a large enough brooder that they can effectively get to a cooler spot so that you can see how they naturally distribute themselves, some cloer to the heat and some further away.

I don't know anything about fermented feed so have no way to guess whether that would help or not. I usually sugggest people offer plain water because that is the primary need, and I fear that additives like electrolytes, tec. may change the taste and discourage drinking.

The bag balm is great, too, if it keeps those little butts greased up. It may be soothing as well. I usually suggest things like Vaseline or cooking oil because people have them on hand, but most anything will work. (Crisco is another good one.)

When I clean pasty butts, I hold the chick's butt under a gentle stream of running tepid water til it softens or falls off. Takes some time, but avoids irritating their bottom, and especially their rectum, as some of them will get a little bit of rectal prolapse with it.

Good luck!

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

If the pasty butt isn't removed daily they will die if it inhibits pooping. Yes it can be overwhelming to clean off so many bottoms daily. Been there done that!

What helps is to remember that they should pass this phase soon. But it does pay off to give them this amount of work when they are little if needed.

I hope your temps are also good. I would check your temps are not too hot or too cold...have read both of those problems can lead to pasty butt too.

 

[syndie]

Our temps range between 94.0 and 90.0, and our brooder is extra large, so much so that we had to partition it off, there is plenty of space. I will just have to work hard on keeping after these cheeks Thx so much!

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

Our temps range between 94.0 and 90.0, and our brooder is extra large, so much so that we had to partition it off, there is plenty of space. I will just have to work hard on keeping after these cheeks Thx so much!

OK your temps sound fine for the first week of life assuming that is how old they are, and they can get away from the heat if needed. Make sure you decrease by 5 degrees per week (first week 90-95) until fully feathered around 6 weeks. You may know that already!

 

[newmarch2014]

One of my new ones came with a bad case of pasty butt this time and her little butt was so swollen and awful once i got it cleaned off under warm runnng water. I gave her a little soak in warm epsom salt water and then dried her with the blow dryer to warm her up and try to fluff her butt up so the others quit pecking on her swollen tush. One day later after multiple check her butt looked normal and now a week later have had no more pasty butt issues at all. I did the electrolyte water for the first 3 days to help with their shock a bit and none seemed turned off by the water in the least. Now since there were a couple with runny poop I am treating with Corrid though, that makes them drink less I do believe.

 

[syndie]

Last years chicks did nit have these issues long. I wasn't prepared for this. I mean our brooder last year was a tub with a screen clamped on top(what a mess) this year the whole family fabricated one that's 4x8x2 foot.
So this is a new experience, to be corrected and ready for next year.

 

[syndie]

Now the question in reverse, started the mash today, and added save a chick to the water, so is there such a thing as too many vitamins and electrolytes?