- Apr 30, 2011
- 5
- 0
- 7
I'm a first-time chicken owner, and got six chicks last week. One buff orpington died on Saturday - from reading here, it looks like she probably had some sort of heart problem that lead to neurological symptoms and seizures - very sad, but I think not anything that would have effected the other babies. The 5 remaining chicks (2 barred rocks, 2 ameraucanas, and one supposed buff orpington who I think is really a NH or RI red) are 11 days old today.
One of the others, a barred rock, has had some problems with pasty butt. I had to clean her off 2-3x the first two days we had her, when she was about a week old, and then she seemed ok for 3 days, and then yesterday got very pasty again. I soaked her bum in warm water and got her all cleaned off, but she has scabs all over her vent, and no feathers at all below it. I can't tell if she's pooping at all - I watched them for an hour today, and didn't see her poop in that time, but she could be, I guess. Her bum under her vent looks swollen to me, but I'm unsure if that's just because with no feathers on it it looks all weird and naked and swollen, or if it actually is. She's much smaller than the other barred rock we have, and sleepier. She is eating and drinking fine. I added some probiotics to their water yesterday and today, and gave some ground up oats today, but haven't noticed any change. I'm feeding non-medicated chick starter. I've been coating her vent and naked area with coconut oil after cleaning the pasty poop off. She is doing some picking/preening on herself, but none of the other chicks are picking at her at all, as far as I can see. I'm worried, though, because her vent is kind of hard from all the scabs, and I'm not sure if she's pooping. Anything else I should/could be doing for her?
And then one of the other chicks, an ameraucana, just started breathing with a whistling sound. She's eating and drinking fine, and has plenty of energy and is just as chipper and trying to fly all over the place as the other ameraucana. Something to worry about, or not? The brooder is a plastic tote, pine shavings for bedding, a window screen on top, and 90 degrees right under the heat lamp, which is in one corner. Food and water at the other end from the lamp, and it's about 80 degrees at the outskirts of the light. None of them hang out right in the 90 deg area, but scatter themselves around the outskirts of it.
I am kind of freaking out here, as a new chicken-mama, that so many of my babies aren't doing well!
One of the others, a barred rock, has had some problems with pasty butt. I had to clean her off 2-3x the first two days we had her, when she was about a week old, and then she seemed ok for 3 days, and then yesterday got very pasty again. I soaked her bum in warm water and got her all cleaned off, but she has scabs all over her vent, and no feathers at all below it. I can't tell if she's pooping at all - I watched them for an hour today, and didn't see her poop in that time, but she could be, I guess. Her bum under her vent looks swollen to me, but I'm unsure if that's just because with no feathers on it it looks all weird and naked and swollen, or if it actually is. She's much smaller than the other barred rock we have, and sleepier. She is eating and drinking fine. I added some probiotics to their water yesterday and today, and gave some ground up oats today, but haven't noticed any change. I'm feeding non-medicated chick starter. I've been coating her vent and naked area with coconut oil after cleaning the pasty poop off. She is doing some picking/preening on herself, but none of the other chicks are picking at her at all, as far as I can see. I'm worried, though, because her vent is kind of hard from all the scabs, and I'm not sure if she's pooping. Anything else I should/could be doing for her?
And then one of the other chicks, an ameraucana, just started breathing with a whistling sound. She's eating and drinking fine, and has plenty of energy and is just as chipper and trying to fly all over the place as the other ameraucana. Something to worry about, or not? The brooder is a plastic tote, pine shavings for bedding, a window screen on top, and 90 degrees right under the heat lamp, which is in one corner. Food and water at the other end from the lamp, and it's about 80 degrees at the outskirts of the light. None of them hang out right in the 90 deg area, but scatter themselves around the outskirts of it.
I am kind of freaking out here, as a new chicken-mama, that so many of my babies aren't doing well!
