Poop stuck to 1 week old chicks- What do I do???

[pixichik]

Ugh I have three out of six chicks with pasty butt. I spent twenty minute last night with the smallest chick and a baby wipe, a real basic bar of soap, and warm water trying to soak it and work it off. It worked but my chick is very wary of me now. The other two only have a small amount and it doesn't seem to be accumulating any more. I assume if it doesn't get worse these little bitty clumps will just fall off. Right? I keep checking every couple hours.

 

[mobius]

I suggest cleaning it off of all of them, it can accumulate very quickly as mentioned earlier in the postings here...and then a tiny bit of olive oil with a q-tip applied gently to the vent. MAke sure it is not the umbilical cord...

 

[pixichik]

What does the umbilical cord look like and where is it positioned?

 

[mobius]

What does the umbilical cord look like and where is it positioned?

It is a little lower than the vent and easily confused with stuck poop...can be a tiny string or look like a tiny dark scab....and should not be messed with, it will drop off by itself...

 

[pixichik]

What if the umbilical cord is still stuck, but it's under the poop? If I remove it will it hurt the chick?

 

[mobius]

Why not just bathe the poop off, the umbilical cord will stay...unless it is ready to drop off on its own...

 

[Safe Pasture]

Did your chick survive? Mine is so much smaller than the other ones. It now is also lethargic and its belly is yellow. I don't think it will make it.

 

[pixichik]

All six of my chicks survived... only one of them had it bad and after the first couple clean ups it gradually went away. Even my smallest one survived... though she is a bit dumber than the others.

 

[Sea Wolf]

I have had this happen a few times. I hold the chick gently and run a light stream of warm water over the area. I keep rubbing and gently picking at the lump until it is all washed away. Pat them dry best I can with a paper towel and get them back into a warm and clean area. Wash hands thoroughly, disinfect and disinfect where you washed them with some bleach. I have had this happen only with a few and never had a repeat after cleaning them. The large mess you had happen after might have been backed up poop that was all jammed up inside. I don't put oil or anything else on them as the shavings and food bits will stick to the area and make more of a mess as well as invite picking by the other chicks.

 

[jacobhawaiifarm]

Hello folks....

I have 12 Cornish, they poop so much that they get it everywhere on their body.
Cornish are monster meat birds so they grow fast (not sure about other type of chickens )
But i leave it alone stuck for 2 weeks.

After 2 weeks...i rinse them with warm water (about 15 secs max bath time)
and right after dry them with paper towels.
They put them in right under the heat lamp.

I had not experience any problems so far...

I also have 12 Rhode Island Reds...they seem to be very clean compared to my Cornish hens.
I never ran into any problems like this with those hens.