"Poopy Bottom" on two day old chick!

[EggWalrus]

You can also trim the down around its little butt so the poo doesn't stick as badly. I told my wife to trim a little Silkie's butt feathers after cleaning the poo off. By the time she was done "plucking" the poo off, he didn't need a trim. He was bald back there! That was many years ago, his feathers finally grew back and he's still running around here. It also stopped the pasty butt.

 

[alexa009]

Use warm water to clean or soak her in. Stress and a overheated brooder are the primary reasons for this occurrence. As long as you resolve the problem by following these steps your solution will be successful.
Best of luck with your baby chick!

 

[lexilovee]

I just realized that I never updated this post! Little Kia, half Speckled Sussex, quarter Austra white, and quarter d’uccle bantam started doing well again after a few weeks of pasty butt! She is a full grown lady in the coop now and I’ll update with pictures soon!

 

[LulaBell]

I just purchased some chicks from Rural King. They all had clumps of very dried poo blocking their vent. Some as big as a marble! I had to very carefully use little scissors and cut some chunks out that I could not get to break up (even with warm water). Poor girls! They were much happier after, many of them immediately had to go and it was a large amount. I'm hoping it was just the stress or what they were being fed at the store.

 

[Mosey2003]

I just purchased some chicks from Rural King. They all had clumps of very dried poo blocking their vent. Some as big as a marble! I had to very carefully use little scissors and cut some chunks out that I could not get to break up (even with warm water). Poor girls! They were much happier after, many of them immediately had to go and it was a large amount. I'm hoping it was just the stress or what they were being fed at the store.

Not to bash companies where they can't defend themselves, but our RK is the absolute WORST about chicks. It makes me so angry, I won't even buy them there. They jam all they can fit in each tank with the feeders and waterers on the floor with pine shavings, so the water fills up rapidly as does the food, when there's any left in the feeder. Because that many chicks can empty a small feeder rapidly. There are always dead ones still in the tanks whenever I go through. It seriously makes me really angry.

Anyway, keep a close eye on them for the next few days, it's common for them to paste up again for a couple days, but they'll grow out of it soon.

 

[Ninjasquirrel]

Not to bash companies where they can't defend themselves, but our RK is the absolute WORST about chicks. It makes me so angry, I won't even buy them there. They jam all they can fit in each tank with the feeders and waterers on the floor with pine shavings, so the water fills up rapidly as does the food, when there's any left in the feeder. Because that many chicks can empty a small feeder rapidly. There are always dead ones still in the tanks whenever I go through. It seriously makes me really angry.

Anyway, keep a close eye on them for the next few days, it's common for them to paste up again for a couple days, but they'll grow out of it soon.

Went to our TSC this past weekend. The chicks feeders were almost empty and their water dish was FILLED with pine shavings and feces. Gotta love how little these people care. Its an animal! A living breathing thing! Who cares if you make minimum wage? Have you no heart or moral compass?

 

[Mosey2003]

Went to our TSC this past weekend. The chicks feeders were almost empty and their water dish was FILLED with pine shavings and feces. Gotta love how little these people care. Its an animal! A living breathing thing! Who cares if you make minimum wage? Have you no heart or moral compass?

I don't get to TSC more than once or twice a year. I can say that our Farm & Fleet and the further out (but much preferred by me) Big R do a really decent job with chicks. But Rural King is the closest and generally the best value on feed, so I go there rather often.

Every once in awhile RK will have a bin of Cornish Cross that are a couple weeks old on sale for 0.99, I always say I'll grab 6 of those when that happens because obviously they're survivors (and both being older and lower price is a much better value) but I never actually do it.

 

[Ninjasquirrel]

I don't get to TSC more than once or twice a year. I can say that our Farm & Fleet and the further out (but much preferred by me) Big R do a really decent job with chicks. But Rural King is the closest and generally the best value on feed, so I go there rather often.

Every once in awhile RK will have a bin of Cornish Cross that are a couple weeks old on sale for 0.99, I always say I'll grab 6 of those when that happens because obviously they're survivors (and both being older and lower price is a much better value) but I never actually do it.

We only have TSC and Big R out by us. The Big R is a little out of the way but they have better selection and take better care of them. I bought our birds from TSC but next time it will be from Big R for this reason alone. I'm also hoping they let us pick them out. TSC was like a snatch and grab from the employee.

 

[Mosey2003]

We only have TSC and Big R out by us. The Big R is a little out of the way but they have better selection and take better care of them. I bought our birds from TSC but next time it will be from Big R for this reason alone. I'm also hoping they let us pick them out. TSC was like a snatch and grab from the employee.

I just love Big R, it seems like the best farm store overall that I've seen. And I don't know which hatchery they contract with, but they always seem to have nicer birds than the others.

 

[LulaBell]

Not to bash companies where they can't defend themselves, but our RK is the absolute WORST about chicks. It makes me so angry, I won't even buy them there. They jam all they can fit in each tank with the feeders and waterers on the floor with pine shavings, so the water fills up rapidly as does the food, when there's any left in the feeder. Because that many chicks can empty a small feeder rapidly. There are always dead ones still in the tanks whenever I go through. It seriously makes me really angry.

Anyway, keep a close eye on them for the next few days, it's common for them to paste up again for a couple days, but they'll grow out of it soon.

That's upsetting. I have never bought at RK before, only our local tractor supply. There is a gal that works there who does an awesome job managing the chicks. I'm very comfortable buying there, she takes great care of them. The RK I bought at was not as bad as yours. There were no dead, but some of the tanks were plum full of chicks. And the tanks were stacked on top of one another, like how you would stack cards. That kind of made me nervous. But over all, not a bad experience