pasty butt chick won't sit down

[angelasbrood]

I have a chick with a recurring case of pasty butt. I've cleaned her several times and taken suggestions from others about molasses water and sugar water. She will now eat wet starter mush quite excitedly and is pooping regularly, but the poor thing is TINY, less than half the size of my other chick, that hatched the same day. She seems to be improving though. However, I have never seen her sit. She leans on the other chicks to sleep, or even attempts to sleep standing up. She's 10 days old now and about the size her bator mate was at 2 days. Why won't she sit, how can I help her?

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

Is she chilly? As you give the other chicks cooler temperatures as they get older, if she is trying to sleep near them maybe she is cold. Make sure she can still access nice warm temperatures. The runts I have reared in the past were always cold-natured.

At 10 days old I would stop the sugar water (I only give it for the first couple of days) and molasses (I don't give this for pasty butt myself).

All I do for pasty butt is to clean the bottom daily. If she survives it will take her awhile to grow and mature. You may need to watch her for signs of coccidiosis as she is placed on ground (dirt) and treat if she becomes ill with it, due to her ill health.

 

[Michael Apple]

You need to consider the quality of the feed you are using too. Please tell me it isn't Dumor brand, or some Tractor Supply garbage.

You also need to consider that it takes about 2 days for an oocyst to sporulate, and only three days after ingestion for a cocci protozoan to show symptoms in a chick. Are you planning on using Amprolium in the water or are you using medicated feed. I had some chicks become very sick on medicated feed once. When I changed feed, gave them supplements, then used Corid in the water, I was able to get them back on track.

Also, does the chick walk without stumbling? Does the chick appear "knock kneed" when standing? Are the toes nice and straight, or crooked or curled?

Each chick has its own immune system that will be strong or weak. Some runts can grow into vigorous chickens too. I've seen it happen myself. You just need to try a few things that may give it some support.

Start using Probios soluble powder in the water 3 days a week. At the same time offer chick scratch (finely ground corn, red wheat, and milo) in addition to the starter feed. You can usually get chick scratch at your local feed store. That is what I do for the first week when pasting up commonly happens. Make sure the temp is somewhere around 85 degrees and they have enough room to move away from heat if they choose.

 

[angelasbrood]

She doesn't seem to be cold, as she runs all over the brooder and doesn't huddle under the light. Her knees look good and she has nice straight toes. She's fast and furious with the the other chicks, and her pasty butt had been cleared up for several days now. She just never sits. What are the signs I should be looking for with the cocci? This is my first flock. Which books should I read?

 

[Michael Apple]

She doesn't seem to be cold, as she runs all over the brooder and doesn't huddle under the light. Her knees look good and she has nice straight toes. She's fast and furious with the the other chicks, and her pasty butt had been cleared up for several days now. She just never sits. What are the signs I should be looking for with the cocci? This is my first flock. Which books should I read?

Alright. It doesn't sound like the chick has coccidiosis. So otherwise it is just a seemingly healthy chick with some pasting. Like ChickensAreSweet said, don't give sugar or molasses in the water. That could certainly cause hyperactivity and pasting. You'd do well to follow my food and water recommendations for 3 days and report how the chick is doing. Keep an eye on the vent of the chick to make sure there is no obstruction. There's much useless and even bad info out there in books as well as websites. One book I highly recommend is Success With Baby Chicks by Robert Plamondon.

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

She doesn't seem to be cold, as she runs all over the brooder and doesn't huddle under the light. Her knees look good and she has nice straight toes. She's fast and furious with the the other chicks, and her pasty butt had been cleared up for several days now. She just never sits. What are the signs I should be looking for with the cocci? This is my first flock. Which books should I read?

It sounds like everything is great then, as far as I can tell.

http://www.merckmanuals.com/vet/poultry/coccidiosis/overview_of_coccidiosis_in_poultry.html
signs to watch for:
lethargic
sits in corner by himself with feathers fluffed up as if cold
won't eat or drink
may or may not have bloody poo
may or may not have diarrhea
usually 8 weeks or younger, but older chickens can become overwhelmed by cocci if immunocompromised or exposed to new soil/cocci