Questions about Pasty Butt

[jag]

I've noticed that a few of my girls have poo that sticks to their cute little fluffy butts, but what I am wondering is....is this actually pasty butt? I have tried to wipe off the ones that have some there, but it is HARD. It's like cement! From what I can tell, none have their vent pasted up, all are pooping fine...but some are getting a build up underneath their vent.

So I read through Storey's Guide To Raising Chickens and it said that if I fed them chick starter & uncooked oatmeal, rather than just chick starter...it wouldn't likely happen in the first place. So I chopped some oatmeal up in the food processer and added it to the chick starter; but through the first and most of the second day, I fed them just chick starter and plain water (also some ate gro-gel, some didn't.)

So I guess my questions are, is this even pasty butt to begin with? and what's the trick to removing poo cement?

 

[keljonma]

If poo is sticking to their bums, it needs removed. I never fed my chicks oatmeal with their starter and 95% of them never had pasty butt. I found some birds are more prone to this condition than others.

If it won't come off with a damp washcloth, you can (after putting on a disposable glove) wash it off with some warm water. Then dry the chick with a hair dryer on cool setting. Just get the bum wet, not the whole bird. As a precaution, keep an eye on the bird to make sure it is dry and acting normally.

Wes recently mentioned you could spray vegetable oil on the bum and wipe the poo off.

It is important to clean the area. Pasty butt can block the vent and if the bird can't poo, it will die. Just be calm and peaceful when cleaning the bird and neither of you will be traumatized.

 

[kingsdaughter]

Several of mine had / have pasty butt. I too read the storeys thing and this forum and I soaked the chicks bottem in some warm water and I was able to get it off. Afterward though it looked like it had prolapsed. Kind of swelled up looking. I set it back in the brooder and with the chick being wet and the swelled up bum the thers started pecking it, so I took it out put it in a box till it was dry and then you couldnt see the vent any more with all the fluff. I then only put the red light on for the rest of the night to further camoflodge it. I think it was just irritated from the poop and me picking at it, and the swelling will go down.

All the stuff we put these little chicks through. I also looked it up in Storeys and put some oatmeal in with there food.

 

[jag]

Thanks for the replies! I searched a bit on the internet and found some other suggestions & possible causes that I should address. First, my brooder is 95 degrees evenly...I have a temperature gun and all the chicks are also 95 degrees. Is this too hot? (They are 5 days old and this is their third day in the brooder.) Should it be more like 90?

Someone said they used 'No More Tangles'; sprayed it on the poo (being cautious not to get in the vent,) let it sit for a bit and then it came off really easily. Think that's a good idea? The few of mine that have this are dirty below the vent.

Others suggest yogurt is good for fixing dietary pasty butt. Can you feed plain non-fat yogurt to 5 day olds? (Really...can my favorite snack be their favorite treat too!?

)

All said, these girls seem very happy & content. So I would venture to say that it's not stress causing this; it's gotta be something else. Probably 5 out of 23 have the issue.


*

How do people work when they have chicks??? I should have taken this whole week off; chicksitting is a big job!!

 

[keljonma]

Quote:
The temperature where the birds are should be 90-95° for the first week. Reduce the temperature 5° p/week until you get to 70°. (Wk1= 90-95°; Wk2= 85-90°; Wk3= 80-85°; Wk4= 75-80°; Wk5= 70-75°)

Quote:
Personally, I wouldn't. But I don't use anything on my chicks that they couldn't safely eat. I'm not sure what that product contains. I'd go with Wes' suggestion of veg oil first.

Quote:
Plain yogurt with active cultures is VERY good for anyone's digestive system. The active cultures is the important part if you're feeding yogurt for health benefits. Remember, once you start feeding anything other than commercial feed, you need to provide grit, too. My flock loves yogurt, but they love it best with crushed garlic in it.

Quote:
If you keep an eye on your chicks, you will know something is wrong because they will tell you with a change in behavior or patterns. Like I mentioned, out of our 25, only 2 had pasty butt problems, so I think some birds are more prone to have the problem.

Quote:
When we first got chicks, I wasn't working. The brooder was in the laundry/mud room off the kitchen and I spent hours with them. Since then, I had been working, but quit in November. It was perfect timing, as our girls started laying in November and I was able to watch the whole process with each of our pullets. I even got pics and dimensions of their first eggs. I also kept a chart of the days and time each laid their eggs for the first 3 months. I learned a lot about their personal egg laying patterns. OKAY I'd admit I'm obsessed!

Just a thought - maybe you should look at a calendar and start planning your next vacation days for moving out to the hen house and those first egg laying days...

 

[jag]

Thanks Keljonma! I will try the oil. Gotta get these bums clean.

I tried to clean some last night to no avail. I'm worried about the ones that it's already hardened on, I don't want to rip feathers out or increase the chances of them being pecked by the others.

(or stress them out.) Last night while trying, I whistled and clucked to them; they weren't stressed. It seems like they know I'm trying to help. I know I wouldn't want to walk around with it on me!

Just a thought - maybe you should look at a calendar and start planning your next vacation days for moving out to the hen house and those first egg laying days... lol

Good suggestion! It's hard enough with all the little issues that need to be taken care of, not to mention how hard it is to tear yourself away from just watching them. Let's just say my workload is piling up.

 

[mainely-chick]

JAG,

I had the same thing happen. I got some great advice on this site that worked for me.
- Run warm water over their butts to losen
- pick off as needed - I used an old toothbrush and twizzers - (be gentle)
- dry and apply some baby oil below the vent with a Q-tip
Have not had any probelms since
Good Luck

 

[jag]

Thanks Mainley Chick! I'm in Maine too! (Hampden)

Thanks everybody!! Great advice, I'll give it another go armed with more knowledge. I'll let you all know how it goes.

 

[panner123]

warm water and a soft cloth, more water than cloth action. most important is to be very gentle. once you have cleaned the area, push on the under side of the vent again being VERY gentle. this will clean out any build up of poop on the inside. put yourself in the peeps place, not a pleasant thought. be should to dry completely. what i do is put the peep in my shirt pocket until it dries and goes to sleep.

 

[Queen of the Lilliputians]

I've also heard it suggested that you can
c a r e f u l l y trim the fuzz on that area to help remove it and prevent it from happening next time.

Good luck with your babies!!


-Meg