Pasty Butt

[English Teacher]

This is my first post because my Dorking babies arrived just yesterday, and I have lost one, and two others show signs of Pasty Butt. I have cleaned those two, and they do not seem as sick as the one who did not make it. They, at least, are eating and drinking. I started giving them boiled egg today, which they all love, so I am wondering if the other two are going to be ok. My heart broke over the loss of the little one, and I don't want to lose anymore. I will mix a bit of yogurt in their food tomorrow, too. Is there anything else anyone would suggest? Thanks.

 

[Duramaxgirl]

Here is a list I made for customers that I sell chicks to. My spelling lacks and my grammer isn't great! Also some of the stuff you'll be thinking duh.... well I've had some really 'interesting' customers! Sorry its long...

Here is a few things to do for your chicks. Newborn babys need extra care... chicks aren't human babys but a little helping hand goes a long ways. Use a good quality 18% protein or more, chick starter only. Don't start giving them treats till they are 8 weeks or older. 1. Keep your chicks warm, directly under the heat lamp it should be 95° for under 1 week old. 90° for 1 week and decrease the temp by 5° every week. As babys: look for clumping up together under the heat lamp this is a sign of to cold in the brooder. 2. DO NOT OVERHEAT THEM! Chicks can survive cold better then heat. Make sure you have a cooler place for them to go out from under the the heat lamp. A bigger box with temps away from the heat lamp at 80° or less is good. Look for panting this is a sign of over heating. 3. When you first get them home as your taking them out of your box dip each beak in their water so they know where it is. Dip more beaks in water if they look like they need it as much as every hour or so.4. Put vitamins and electrolytes in their water. They should be on this till 5 weeks. They need the extra boost, I have know chicks to die from the shock of moving and this helps them get through it. 5. Check for paisty bum. (Poo stuck in clumps on their rears) if it is there wash it off with a warm wet rag. Or you can turn on the sink and wash them in the warm water. Be careful not to get water on the face/beak. Put them back under the heat lamp to dry off and stay warm. If your chicks do not have poo stuck to them don't just give them a bath... if they've have paisty bum, you'll know it! This is usually between 5-10 days old. 6. If your chicks are on vitamin water and still look weak: give them sugar water as a energy boost. I've seen this method save chicks in the past. Dip their beaks in the sugar water every half hour as needed. About 1 heaping teaspoon in 1 cup of water. . Make sure the water is warm at every dip. 7. Put your chicks on paper towels in your brooder if your useing shavings cover them with paper towels. It is best to not have them on a flat surface where they can't get grips with their feet. So useing pine chips under the paper towels works great. Its best that they all know where the food/water in their new home is and are eating and drinking well before your remove the paper towels. Chicks are hungry all the time! and can eat the pine chips untill they know where the food is. It can take up to a week for them to 'figure it all out' 8, Apple cider vinager is a wonderful natural immune booster for chicks! 1 teaspoon per quart in their water will do a wonder of good for them. Yes you can mix it with the vitamins. I recomend the organic with mothers. But using the more inexspensive brand from the grocery store works to. 9. Make sure they are not in a drafty area... also a good ole' cardboard box works, or a plastic storage bin from wal-mart. I'm not to fond of the chick brooders that have wire floors, to much draft for very young chicks. 10. Set it all up before you get your chicks! Food, water with vitamins and heat lamp turned on. The less time they have in the cold trasportation box the better. Here are a few donts: Never use old pine chips. They can mold. Even if they are in a new package if its over a few months old don't use it! Never use cedar chips these are poisonous to chicks. Don't use small sawdust type shavings. Try and use big flat chips type pine shavings, the bigger the flake the better! Never use old chick starter. Check the date on the bag! I've purchased old food before and had to return it to the store. Here are a few dos: Check on them often! Don't just put them in a box in the barn or basement and leave them for hours on end. They can knock over the waterer or do all kinds of odd things. Its best to keep a close eye on them for the first few days. Its best for them if your there if they need help! Do make sure they have food and water at all times. Do use a thermometer in the brooder so your not guessing on the temp.

 

[Duramaxgirl]

When I said treats after 8 weeks I was talking more about scratch and BOSS... feeding them boiled eggs is fine.

 

[English Teacher]

Don't let my user name/ occupation bother you. I am off duty, and the red pen is in the desk.

Thanks for all the info. I think I have everything you wrote covered, but I will add some apple cider vinegar to their water tomorrow. They seem content. It is incredibly hot here, so they are on an inside porch that is air conditioned, but I shut the vent and have the door to the rest of the house shut. They have a heat lamp on them, and it stays pretty close to 95 under the light in their tub. They are in a small size tub--like a rubber cattle tank with the light clipped to the side. They move out to the food and water and go back under the light to sleep. Do you think the boiled egg and yogurt is a good idea? I read elsewhere that the reason they have this problem is because they don't have good bacteria in their bellies. One place said not to give them vitamins at all. Another place said not to give them medicated food. Believe me after the little one died, and I started reading all this information on the web, I just cried. I have medicated feed and gave them gro gel when they got here, so I feel guilty about the pasty butt. I am hoping the other two that have dirty bottoms will be ok. They really like the boiled egg. I apologize if this is outside the rules for posting, but I am a little overwhelmed with the responsibility of the babies and making sure that they stay well. The shop class where I teach built a chicken house for me/ for them that they will live in when the heat breaks, but for now it seems better to keep them close on the porch where I can keep the temp. regulated and check them often. Sigh . . .

 

[English Teacher]

Oh, so sorry to ask another question, but what is scratch and BOSS? I have the babies on sand in the tub because I read somewhere that it was a good idea. I have bags of ground cobs for them when they go the chicken house.

 

[N&MSchroeder]

Hi and

Scratch can be a homemade or commercial mixture of corn, wheat and other grains/seeds. We like to give our flocks some later in the afternoon as a treat. We throw it out on the ground and they "scratch" around looking for it.

Boss is Black oil sunflower seeds. Enjoy your chicks and post pictures soon!

 

[Duramaxgirl]

I'm sorry you lost one but I think your doing great. Sometimes chicks just die... for whatever reason, internal problems or often things beyond our control, also shipping stresses them. But from my experience you'll read all kinds of info and after a while you just do what works for you. That's what my list is just things that worked for me. But you'll do good! You sound like you've got a good handle on things. Unless more keep dieing just keep up with what your doing!

 

[Duramaxgirl]

Yes I've fed boiled and scrambled eggs to chicks before.

should be fine.

 

[cottagechick]

I am curious, when people talk about "vitamin water" I am assuming they are not talking about the stuff that college students guzzle like water...?

 

[2hot2chicken]

Quote:
Funny but NO!
There are vitamins you can buy at feed stores or online to mix with their water. I use a product when I get new chicks called "Sav A Chick" it got electrolights and vitamins and comes in packets premeasured to mix with a gallon of water. But the other to remember when using these kinds of things is they do not last long. If I do not use up a gallon in 48 hours I dump it. Not that it happens as chicks are messy and I dump and change their water every couple hours for the 1st week especially. The vitamins and electrolights start to disipate after a while. I think the package says to discard after 24 hours. I give it to my adult/junior birds sometimes to when its hot as well just for a little boost. It doesn't hurt and they really like the taste.

The biggest thing besides warmth and good food for the first few weeks and even beyond is cleanliness. I clean out their food and water every couple hours (except at night) and spot clean their shavings as well. Then every other day I completely clean and replace all shavings. his gives me a chance to handle and thoroughly check over every chick for alertness and activity every couple of hours. This can be a little bit harder when you have more than a couple of chicks and they all look similar. You will start to fall into a routine that works for you and them it won't take long.

With Pasty Butt its common and like others said nothing to serious. It usually works itself out. Just check them frequently and handle them often so you can watch for anything else.... ex: a chick whos a lil lithargic or not eating/drinking often or at all. These could be more serious signs illness. Keep them and their suroundings clean to avoid weakening their immune systems and to help give them the best posible start in life.

Some people prefer medicated food and other prefer to go all natural. Personaly it depends where the chicks come from. If they are from a small farm with a healthy looking flock I have skipped the medicated food and gone natural. If I buy hatchery fluffies (as my girls call them) then I prefer to use medicated for at leased the 1st bag of food, or couple of weeks, to help give em a boost as who knows what they were exposed to? But that is just me. To each their own.........

Oh and do not forget to enjoy! Its like with a new baby. Every1 will have an opinion but you will soon figure out what works best for you and ur babies! Use common sense and ask questions but do not listen to every1 you hear

I raised my 1st set of chicks without knowing much about chickens in particular and made a few mistakes but they lived through it and are now happy healthy birds.