Poop questions...Oh my.

[mendogurl]

Boy, I see why there is so much discussion about chicken poop !!!

They are a week old today and doing well. I have to go out of town for a couple of days, and a good friend
who is sharing care for chickens, for eggs on day, will be staying here.
But she can't stay here all day changing the water a BILLION times. Their water is gross.
Any suggestions ?


Plus, it seems that I am cleaning chick butts every couple of days because I'm afraid of pasty butt.
I am not sure if it's past butt or just normal dirty chicken butt.

Help?

 

[Chicken Fruit]

chicks butts get gross. Its pasty butt actually clogs up the vent completely, cakes of poo just under the vent are normal.

Get a couple waterers.

my chicks can make it through about 6 hours a day without completely ruining their water. it helps if you put the waterer on a piece of carboard on top of the bedding, or on a board the same size as the bottom of the waterer, so they dont flick bedding up into the dish.

They'll be fine.

 

[mendogurl]

So if there water is changed every 6 hours, it's okay?

 

[zatsdeb]

I put my water container on a brick so they can't get in it

 

[Chicken Fruit]

They could probably make it just fine on 8 hours. just get another waterer too, then you wont have to worry as much. They'll have a back up, it should at least slow down the messing of the waterers.

 

[mendogurl]

Quote:
A regular sized brick?
It's just too high for them to hop onto, but they can still drink?

 

[Wynette]

If you put the waterer/feeder on anything, make sure it's no higher than the level of their backs. Sometimes, I put it on a brick and then put a short piece of a 2x4 in front, so they can hop on that, get their drink, and hop off.

 

[zatsdeb]

you can put a brick in and watch them to see that they can reach it. the brick I use is just a regular sized one... like a paving stone. if they are standard size chicks they most likely can reach, bantums usually can't.. until they get bigger.

 

[Jenski]

Depending on the size of the chicks, I am using these under the waterers:

* paving stone (3+ week old chicks)
* lid from Christmas tin (2 week chicks)
* plastic coffee can lid (2 week chicks)

The cardboard is a good idea, too. . .

Good luck with the messy buggers!

 

[WoodlandWoman]

I use a piece of wood that's thinner than a brick the first week, then go to a brick when they're a little taller. It depends a little on how deep the litter is that they're standing on, too.

Basically, you just want the trough or saucer part of the waterer to be at or slightly below the height of the chicks' back. Then watch them for a minute or so, to make sure they are drinking ok. Chicks have proportionally shorter necks than adult chickens.