Sorry to bring this up again but I can't find an answer in other posts I've searched. My chicks are 3 days and some have a very small amount of dreid poo on their butts. My question is, How much dried poo is normal (if any) do I need to clean them right away or see if it clears up next time they poo?
Take a warm rag and put it on their bottoms. Most of it should come off. But if you don't clean it when you notice it, it will just keep building up. Somtimes people have to pull the fuzz that the droppings are sticking to out. Not very fun for the little chick, but it might help. I read somwhere that it can somtimes be caused by stress. good luck!
No poo on the butt is normal. It's very risky to leave it there, because as the other commenter noted, pasting over the hole that the droppings come out is very dangerous and can kill the chick frighteningly quickly.
It needs to be cleaned off or it will plug them up. I like to use hydrogen peroxide and q-tips to soften it up. Gently wrap your little one in a warmed up -dry -wash cloth, its soothing too them. Then start to moisten and clean till all is gone. If you can gently snip fine feathers in the area. Pasty but or peanut butter but as we call it in our family, usually doesnt occur after 2 weeks.
In addition, the other chicks will notice it and peck at the chick with the droppings (tiny amounts, even). I have one of the 7 that I have to keep an eye on. The others all seem fine. She HATES having her butt cleaned, but seems to take it pretty well. She is the one who will hop on my hand when I put it down in the brooder, too, so maybe she doesn't mind all that much.
Interestingly, when I have had broody hens hatch and raise chicks, there were NO pasty butts. My theory is that the hen keeps the chicks warm in a somewhat humid environment, vs under a heat lamp, but I'm not sure why. Or maybe less stress on the chicks - well, undoubtedly less stress. What I've done with hatchery chicks with pasty butts is to get a little bowl of comfortably warm water and sit them down in it for a few minutes - just enough to cover the poo. They resist at first, but then almost seem to like it. Then you can really easily remove the poo with your fingers, it just kind of crumbles and dissolves. I've tried the warm wet cloth, didn't seem to soften it as quickly. Don't pull on those little butt feathers - the skin is super fragile and you can tear it pretty easily.
I have a pasty butt baby too. She's 4 days old. I use qtips with warm water and soak the poo, then it wipes right off. I was also told (by many people on here!) to then put a little olive oil or mineral oil on the chicks bum. Makes it harder for the poo to stick! My babys pasty butt seems a lot better.
Fortunately by the time they are 2 weeks old the pasty butt should be gone. You need to clean up pasty butt as soon as you see it. Whenever it got too much on my chicks I would hold them under warm water (their butts that is) and let the water soften the poop and then I would gently remove it.
