I've been cleaning their butts with a cotton ball and putting vegetable oil on there (an article said olive oil or vegetable oil was fine). How do I add grit? I heard cornmeal and grit will help their pasty butt. Is it safe for chicks only 2 days old (to eat)
Grit has nothing to do with preventing pasty butt. It's more likely caused by the chicks being subjected to too much heat. Sometimes, you can be doing everything precisely right and still have one or two come down with it. Chicks don't need grit if all they're eating is chick crumbles. Start with the heat source and decrease it with lower wattage or settings. If your brooder hasn't got enough space for the chicks to find cool-down areas, you may need to expand your brooder. I used to use cardboard boxes for my brooders, and it was a simple task to find a second one, tape them together, and cut a pass-through in the common wall to create a two-room chick condo. Now everyone buys those plastic totes. Having to pay for a brooder is something I've never done. Now I just brood outdoors in my run under a heating pad cave.
