poopy chick butts

[GypsyMomma]

I went to the feed store and came home with 6 baby chicks yesterday. When I was transferring them from the paper bag I noticed huge hard clumps of poop stuck to the bottoms of 3 of the chicks.
I used warm water to try and soak the clumps off and gently pulled them off the chicks, I put them back under the warming light and they dried off. They seem mostly okay, but one of the chicks was especially small compared to the others and she seems to not want to get up and move around as much as the others.
Was I not supposed to wet them?
Is there something else I should have done?
Isn't that something the feed store should be looking for while the chicks are in their care?
Now I'm worried that when I get home from work I wont have 6 chicks anymore

 

[Hufflefluff]

Wetting them was fine, so long as you don't soak the chick (as long as only a little of their butt fluff gets wet and they dry off quickly, it's not a big deal)
If their butts had been clumped up for a while before you got them it could explain why they're a little under the weather, but as long as they have access to everything they need and you keep taking care of the pasty butt as it arises they should be fine.
The small one is probably just a weaker chick in general- she managed to hatch, which is a good sign, but I'd be prepared for the possibility that she might just not be strong enough to make it. Fingers crossed for you, though, and I hope it goes well- she could very well recover.

In an ideal world, feed stores would, but often they don't consider it worth the time, and it's hard to check when you have so many chicks running around in a bin.

I hope everything goes will with your chicks- I'm sure they'll be fine. Keep us updated, and I'd love to see pictures

 

[GypsyMomma]

Wetting them was fine, so long as you don't soak the chick (as long as only a little of their butt fluff gets wet and they dry off quickly, it's not a big deal)
If their butts had been clumped up for a while before you got them it could explain why they're a little under the weather, but as long as they have access to everything they need and you keep taking care of the pasty butt as it arises they should be fine.
The small one is probably just a weaker chick in general- she managed to hatch, which is a good sign, but I'd be prepared for the possibility that she might just not be strong enough to make it. Fingers crossed for you, though, and I hope it goes well- she could very well recover.

In an ideal world, feed stores would, but often they don't consider it worth the time, and it's hard to check when you have so many chicks running around in a bin.

I hope everything goes will with your chicks- I'm sure they'll be fine. Keep us updated, and I'd love to see pictures

I tried to just wet the bottoms but after I was done I started second guessing myself. Thank you for the reassurance!
Now lets see if I remember how to post pictures on here. Its been a while

 

[Frazzemrat1]

you did exactly the right thing. All that poop on their behind would have killed them eventually, as it was blocking any excrement from coming out. Just make sure that if it comes back you dry as best you can and keep them warm.

 

[chickens really]

Hello..Washing Butts is okay just make sure your not confusing the umbilical as poop..That will dry up and fall off..You can use rubbing alcohol to keep the umbilical clean twice a day and put Vaseline on the Butts so poop won't stick..Cold Chicks get pasty Butt..