Pasty Butt vs Dirty Butt And cleaning frequency

[Doc7]

I have been diligently cleaning some dirty butts of chicks that are 5 days old. Day 4 of life (yesterday AM) I cleaned two Butts, last night 3 butts, and this morning 1 Butt again (total 3 out of 6 chicks affected so one 3 times, one two times and one one time). 3 never have a problem. Interesting that it’s the 3 light colored chicks that I see the poo on but I double checked to make sure I wasn’t just missing it on the darker color ones.

I’ve fed some chick grit, and hard boiled egg yolk mixed with plain yogurt and chicken feed and they loved it. I have a mama heating pad and whenever I check the chicks are content and walking about quietly chirping among themselves or taking a rest under the mama heating pad.

“my pet chicken” here https://www.mypetchicken.com/backya...-a-pasty-vent-and-how-do-I-treat-it-H261.aspx says “a little dingleberry is ok”.

My friend who keeps chickens is worried that I am overcleaning the chicks which will in turn stress them out more.

Here are photos of what I am dealing with. It’s hard to tell from the photo which exaggerates the problem, especially on the yellow Delaware chick but the vent itself is clear. Should I continue cleaning these chicks butts every 12 hours (I do it at dawn and after dark, that way their reddish vent isn’t a target for pecking)? I would hate that my cleaning is just making a worse cycle.

 

[emmaellis111]

I've never fed my chicks all of this stuff before... chick grit, and hard boiled egg yolk mixed with plain yogurt and chicken feed.
Maybe just stick to chick crumb for a few days to see if it helps. Maybe the Yoghurt is to rich for them? I don't give my chicks grit all the time maybe once or twice a week.
Hope their bottoms get better soon. And I wouldn't clean there bums every single day. Say my husbands says it will chip off once it gone hard lol.. Xx

 

[Doc7]

They got that stuff after this started, not before it. Yogurt as a probiotic and egg yolk is pretty commonly recommended on this board as I’ve seen it, and grit is part of a chicks diet early on with a broody and they will be getting soil soon also.

 

[Eggcessive]

Chicks who have had pasty butt may continue to get it for a week to 10 days. I have never seen it last past that age. I only check them every 24 hours, and clean it off with soap, warm water and rubbing with fingers. Dry well and gently. You shouldn’t feed chicks anything but chick starter and water for at least the first 2 weeks. They do not need grit either, until they start eating other foods or are on grass.

 

[Doc7]

Thanks. I’ve read some conflicting info here and definitely think there’s been a lot of approval of egg yolk - hard boiled or scrambled - and yogurt mixed with some starter for chicks on this board. Also tomorrow being 92 and sunny with no wind I plan on bringing them for 15 minutes (unless they chill earlier) to the yard for some bugging in some clover in a circular pen I built of leftover hardware cloth. The grit today was in preparation for our field trip tomrorow!

 

[Doc7]

Only one needed a Butt cleaning today and we took our first trip from the coop to the grass, 90s and sunny with no breeze.

The Easter Egger already has tail feathers coming in and I am wondering if she is 1 or 2 days older than the other chicks.

 

[Chickassan]

Next time you clean butts put a little olive oil on the bullseye it will make cleaning much easier for everybody.