Poo on feet?

[DebB11]

Will the chicks take care of this themselves or do I need to clean their feet? I had 1 chick today that had it had dried on, so I cleaned it off but otherwise we haven't had any issues with it drying on their feet.

 

[N&MSchroeder]

You did right.

Once in a while, a chick will get one that sticks, but this isn't usually a problem. Have fun!

 

[lotzahenz]

Sometimes they get little mud balls, I just pull them off or soak them off and they will be good to go. HenZ

 

[FMAFarms]

You don't say what kind of chicks you have. If you have feather-legged chicks, like Cochins, Silkies, Booted Bantams, etc., then you should check their feet daily. Their down/feathers will look very scraggly and start smelling if poo gets them all matted up. I train my Silkie chicks so they lift their little feet for me when I do their morning hand-training time. A small bowl of warm water and a chamois to absorb and buff their down/feathers is all you need.

For clean-legged varieties, there may be times that poo gets caked on their toes. I know of at least one reference that states that caked poo on toes can lead to toe picking, but I've never seen this. I just clean any toes that I see with poo stuck on. But for feather-leggeds, you'll need to intervene.