Pasty butt with broody hen

[Tiny23]

Hi, I have searched the forum quickly and in a bit of a panic but haven't found a definitive answer yet so I thought I'd post for help to directions to the right thread.

I have two six day old Serama chicks with their mother. She has been absolutely spot on so far but this morning I noticed one chick has poo stuck to its rear.

I had read up on pasty butt as part of preparing for these chicks arrival but all the literature says mummy hen will do all the work and keep them clean.

Do I need to intervene? Mummy hen is very aggressive when I need to open the pen door (rightly so!) so it will be a two person job to get hold of the chick but I can do it if it's the right thing to do.

Any help asap much appreciated.

 

[Flufferes]

If she doesn't take care of the pasty butt chick soon, i would intervene. Give the hen a day or so.

 

[Tiny23]

The chick in question is still on par with the other non pasty chick, active, eating etc but I'll check regularly and leave it for today if it shows no signs of difficulty.

The hen is a first time mum but she has been excellent so far, it would be a shame if she missed this detail.

I've read acv in the water and natural yogurt mixed with a few greens can help - anybody any experience?

 

[Tiny23]

I have just been watching and the chick seems to be trying to pull the poo off itself?

 

[azygous]

A broody isn't the same as a mama cat that will scrupulously groom her kittens. Distract your broody with a feint toward the other chick, then grab the one needing cleaning.

This is a rare occurrence with broody-raised chicks, but no less urgent to address.

 

[Tiny23]

Quick update, I got on the phone to my chicken expert friend and she happened to be in my area visiting family so she popped over. She very confidently said to leave it until tomorrow morning.

So I went out to get yogurt and cornmeal like a slightly comforted but panicked new mother (already use acv for my other hens so added that to the water) came back and pasty butt had disappeared!

Mama hen went to town on the yogurt, crumb and cornmeal mix and then fed some small pieces to the chicks, wonderful to watch. I can see me getting addicted to this lark!