Pine Shavings And Pasty Butts???!!!

[Jen F]

I hatched chicks the weekend and kept them on an old, large cloth and papertowel. I changed to pine shaving about 2 days ago and now they have pasty butts.
Has anyone seen a correlation with the 2? I'm seriously thinking about using sand.
Any advice about pasty butts, pine shavings, or using sand?
Thanks

 

[juliette2009]

Quote:
I think pasty butt happens regardless of what you have them on. My seramas usually get it on day 2 or 3 (not all of them), and it only lasts for 2 or 3 days.

Juliette

 

[Mattemma]

I did not have problems with the fluffy pine shavings I got from Walmart.Though sometimes those shavings were more like pine chips. The pine I get from the feed store is more like sawdust. I would try different brands. I never used sand with the chicks.Only in the shed with the older ones,but I did not like it.

Give it a try and see if you like it.My concern is the sand would hold heat more than shavings,and ofcourse they would eat some. I am sure they eat pine shavings too!

 

[mdbokc]

Brown diarrhea often follows pasty butt. So don't be surprised there. Cackle Hatchery told me once what all causes that and why it sequences as it does. Of course, I thought that I would remember but I have not. I do know that if the diarrhea doesn't clear up quickly, then a sulfa drug was recommended.

 

[Jen F]

Yeah I was worried that the pine shavings caused the pasty butts. I used pine shavings from Petsmart. It truelly looks like shavings. I did see that Walmart's looked a little larger.
Has anyone used peat moss? Where would you get it?
Grass clippings?
Pros and Cons?

 

[Judy]

Personally, if I had doubts about the pine shavings I'd go with sand. They do seem to eat at least a little of the pine shavings. Maybe some eat more than others.

 

[Merryment]

Watch the heat in your brooder. There is a correlation to pasty butt there; over-heated chicks are more likely to paste up. We started putting probiotic powder in the chick water from the get-go and have seen a dramatic reduction in the amount of pasty butt. Never have had a problem due to pine shavings. I do agree that larger flakes work better in brooders, but that may be because I find them easier to clean out!

Good luck. This too shall pass.

 

[mdbokc]

I doubt it is pine shavings. Cackle didn't say that. Theirs was temp and stress of shipment and such. I have always used pine shaving (medium with chicks, never fine as they can and will eat that instead of feed, especially if it gets wet; and then it kills them), never had a problem.

No grass clippings as they will eat that for sure and now you can have gut problems.

 

[Jen F]

Thank you all for the info.
Where do you get the probiotic powder and does it have a specific name?

 

[IroquoisEgg]

i know "rooster booster" has probiotics in it as well as vitmains and electrolytes, but not sure if it's recommended to use for such young babies.