Pasty Butt Questions

[GeekiTurtle]

Hi All...

My chick got pasty butt and I was able to clean most of it off (vent is clean). My only worry is that some small bits didn't want to come off. Is this a major issue or should it be fine?

PS I'll be monitoring daily incase it comes back.
PSS I don't have pictures as I didn't think to take any and don't want to disturb the chick now

 

[thecatumbrella]

Hi Turtle! You want to make sure you’re not messing with the umbilical cord scab, which is directly below the vent (and kind of looks like poo). The chicks will do a good job letting you know if there’s a problem with your cleanup job. Some are clearly irritated by even a small amount of stuff in their down. You also need to make sure no one else is picking at the debris out of curiosity. Finally, pasty butt chicks can take several days to grow out of it. If you didn’t get to clean as well as you liked, there will probably be a second chance. It is a delicate procedure, so better to focus on being as gentle as possible over getting every last bit.

 

[GeekiTurtle]

Hi Turtle! You want to make sure you’re not messing with the umbilical cord scab, which is directly below the vent (and kind of looks like poo). The chicks will do a good job letting you know if there’s a problem with your cleanup job. Some are clearly irritated by even a small amount of stuff in their down. You also need to make sure no one else is picking at the debris out of curiosity. Finally, pasty butt chicks can take several days to grow out of it. If you didn’t get to clean as well as you liked, there will probably be a second chance. It is a delicate procedure, so better to focus on being as gentle as possible over getting every last bit.

Thank you for your help. I see I forgot to mention that the chick is about 1 week old. I'll keep checking up on (hopefully) her

 

[Lynn Grigg]

Hi All...

My chick got pasty butt and I was able to clean most of it off (vent is clean). My only worry is that some small bits didn't want to come off. Is this a major issue or should it be fine?

PS I'll be monitoring daily incase it comes back.
PSS I don't have pictures as I didn't think to take any and don't want to disturb the chick now

Hello, I've found that feeding fine crushed dry oatmeal or oat brand definitely helps ward off and stop pasty butt in new chicks. Pasty butt can be a killer if not addressed. I really hate cleaning it. It's stressful for the babies.