(Pics now... any idea?)Unsure about a possible pasty butt situation...

[desireefawn]

One of my Barred Rocks has what I thought might be pasty butt, but now I'm not quite sure... the vent isn't covered, when I pick her up and check out her backside the vent is completely cleared (and puckering at me, for the lack of a better term, haha) but there's a blackish ball sort of under it. I assumed this might be where the umbilical cord was attached? A few other chicks had little bits hanging from that area, but they've all dried up and nearly all have fallen off. But this chick has the black ball still, and poop is getting stuck around it. I tried to get it off with warm, wet paper towels, but it seemed MORE attached to the chic than poop would be, like it wasn't something that SHOULD come off.

Any ideas?

Other than that, the chick has been eating normally, drinking, running around and is definitely at the top of her pecking order. She's also the biggest of the bunch, so that makes me think she's doing ok?

Any help would be great. I'll try to snap an immodest pic of her tonight!

Merci!

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

Yeah- that has happened to me too.

Wait until it falls off. I think it is the umbilical cord remnant. Give it a couple of days.

If you get your faucet running and test the water on your wrist to make sure it isn't too hot, put the backside of your chick under the running water.

It will soften it and then you will be able to gently tell if it is poo or the umbilical cord. Poo will soften and squish off with your fingers.

 

[crazygoatlady915]

Arrighy.

I would say that is poop.

If it's not coming, cut off the feathers it's attached to. If's it's attached to the actual chick, i have no idea!

I hope other chicken parents will have ideas!

Good Luck! (and hello to a fellow BPR owner!

)

 

[desireefawn]

Thanks for the ideas! I'll get back to you after a little detective work!

 

[limabean]

Ahhh, Desiree, I was just coming on here to post the same question. Both my Barred Rocks have the same thing you describe - nice clean pink vent, black ooky glob below. All the Red Stars look fine. The BR's are also acting perfectly normal - and getting more and more curious about their world!

I will await more feedback and perhaps try the running water tip.

(P.S., Mine are getting more nervous about being handled - how are yours? I'm wondering if we are not handling them *enough*, as it takes some co-ordination of cats/ toddler/ etc before we sit down to handle them).

 

[desireefawn]

Ok, so I did the soaking of the butt in a bowl of warm water, and the parts that were poop came off without my grief. However, that round black ball came off too (I was squishing it a little to see if it was poop) but it turned out to be a scab which came off in the water. Now my poor BR has a red stub exposed... is this still the umbilical site? Is she ok? I dried her off as much as possible and she's back in with the others, just worried they'll peck at her poor butt now.

I managed to snap a few pics:

Limabean: Ours have been getting weirder about being handled too, and we have them out 3-4 times a day. They are getting a little peck happy, but are still ok to sit on my hand or or in Gretchen's lap. The Stars are MUCH calmer than our two BRs!

 

[Justuschicks]

Hard to tell by the pics but I would say that it is what is left of the umbilical. Don't pull on it though. A couple chicks I have hatched had long cords left and once they dried out I took real sharp scissors and trimmed them back. Once it dries you can try some antibiotic ointment on it to help keep poo from sticking to it.

 

[lady feathers]

Yes it's where the chick was attached to the egg.... just leave it be it will dry up and fall off as a babies umbilical stub does. as olng as it doesn't look infected or stink, leave it alone and your chicks wll be just fine! The worst thing it will do is pull a few feathers out as it dries and they get stuck to it, they will gorw back.

 

[ChestnutRidge]

Yeah, that was the scab from the umbilical cord. It will probably heal alright, but if the other chickens pick at it, you can follow the advice I was given for another red wound:

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[desireefawn]

Thanks so much everyone! (Was having a first-time chicken mama heart attack!) Feeling better about things now and will keep an eye on her!