Pasty Butt??

[SeaPolka]

So I bought two chicks off a woman for £8, they looked okay in the brooder but I took the risk of buying them as day olds. When I got them home and given to my broody hen, one chicks eyes started swelling like peas, within a few hours it died. I asked the woman if she had any disease in her flock which she wouldn't answer so I'm wondering if my hen had given the chick something but all my other chicks, ones I've hatched myself are fine. The other chick is okay, they're lavender Pekins. My other hen who had no eggs was broody so I bought her two chicks from a different woman, they were okay looking (Silkie and Pekin). But after a day the Silkie got a pasty butt. I took him away and cleaned it but I'm wondering if it could be from something contagious and something my flock has. I really do want this Silkie as it's hard to get them pure bred in my area and it's doing okay apart from the pasty butt. The other chicks don't have it and they're doing good. Is he just stressed or something?? I brought him in under the heat lamp but I only have one brooder so he's with my other chicks.

 

[WVduckchick]

Pasty butt is actually very common. If you keep it cleaned off, it will normally clear up eventually. Could take a week or more. You can clip the feathers/fluff below the vent to allow the dropping to fall off better. Fluffy breeds seem to be more prone to it.

 

[SeaPolka]

Pasty butt is actually very common. If you keep it cleaned off, it will normally clear up eventually. Could take a week or more. You can clip the feathers/fluff below the vent to allow the dropping to fall off better. Fluffy breeds seem to be more prone to it.

Thank you, my worries are at ease now!

 

[ChickNanny13]

Could add some ACV with mother in their water....1T/gal....Won't hurt anyone & helps the digestive system. Clean off it's butt with warm water, don't let it build up.

 

[SeaPolka]

Could add some ACV with mother in their water....1T/gal....Won't hurt anyone & helps the digestive system. Clean off it's butt with warm water, don't let it build up.

I add it in the water every other day, he seems a little off too as he stands directly under the brooding lamp unlike the smaller chicks. It couldn't the apple cider vinegar causing it right? I give it to all of my chicks and hens and it's never been harmful. He has no discharge, not rattling breathing. He eats nonmedicated chick crumb dusted in Diatomaceous earth, a homesteader mentioned this on her YT channel. Sorry for being such a worry pot

 

[ChickNanny13]

Don't sound like it's anything you're doing, possibly stress. Keep a close eye on him & keep cleaning his butt, as WVduckchick says you can clip the feathering around his back end, I've done that for some Wynadottes someone gave me, put them on ACV & FF, it cleared up but took awhile. Not sure if it was a change in feed, the person I got them from was feeding scratch/layer, I feed Flock Raiser w/OS on the side for my girls.

Keep us updated....

 

[WVduckchick]

You will find many comments as to why chicks get pasty butt. Brooder too warm, brooder too cool, heat lamp vs. plate heater vs. broody, bad feed, etc, etc. I've had tons of chicks/hatches where none ever got it, but I've also had a few of every breed of mine, under many different conditions get it. The one and only single correlation I have found is ones that hatched with the slightest bit of navel scab (I mean even just the tiniest of bumps) seem to get it more often.But that's just my experience. Not saying its the cause, just one thing I've noticed. I also just noticed a 5-day old chick that hatched with a broody has a touch of pasty butt. Momma was cleaning it off (so cute!). None of the other 5 have it, just the one. So they are all eating the same, experiencing the same conditions, etc.

I'm not saying there isn't some "reason", just saying that it could be a multitude of issues.