I've noticed some dried poo on my 3 day old's butts. Is this normal or is this what's referred to as pasty butt? It's not a lot but I don't want it to develop into anything if I need to be concerned.
Generally they will stay pretty clean. If there is any accumulation, it is sounding like pasty butt. If it starts to look like it might plug things up, a little washing of the backside followed by a good blow drying will get things back into shape. It should clear up quickly.
Hold their butts under a faucet with warm water and soak, crumbled the moistened poop away. Dab dry and apply a bit of olive oil or vasoline and they should be good to go. Most experts feel it is the stress of shipping/handling, as it seldom, if ever occurs with brooded chicks. Just keep an eye out, and they'll be fine.
You've gotten great info already. Just wanted to add that they outgrow it quickly. You should only have to clean the chick up once or twice.
I thought that my chicks were looking a bit "pasty" on day 2, so I washed them, blow dried them (and they loved that) and then started adding a small bit of plain yogurt to their diet. Everything was good since then. But chicks poop a lot! I wasn't prepared for that. I take them out to play and they relieve themselves every two minutes!
