This is Little Mr. Poopy Butt. We got these 6 chicks, our first, from a vendor at a local flea market at 2 weeks old (now 7 1/2 weeks), and I've had to wash his little chicky behind about every other day since. I don't know the breed, he's some sort of Bantam mix. He may even be a she, I'm not sure yet. I don't have a scale I can weigh him with
Thought this was pasty butt, but from what I've read in different places, he should be over that by now.
Droppings are mostly solid, usually brown, and white, sometimes with a slight reddish or yellow tint. They're sticking to his backside, the feathers on his belly, and his tail feathers. Now, to add insult to injury, the skin around his vent and on his poor little belly is peeling off. I'm guessing that this may be the result of repeated washings.. Aside from these symptoms, he doesn't act sick. He eats, drinks, runs around with the other chicks, and checks his pretty self out in my bathroom mirror after baths. None of the other chicks are having this issue or showing any other symptoms of illness.
Aside from the baths (warm running water), I've tried baby oil and vaseline on his bottom. Vaseline seems to help the longest, pushing baths out to every few days. I've tried giving him/them oatmeal (I don't remember where I read it, but saw somewhere that might help). They also had a week of tetracycline in their water (one of the other chicks started having trouble breathing -- this helped!).
They started out in a brooder with corn cob bedding, then with pine shavings. From there, the group moved into a small coop with an enclosed run. The floor inside the roosting area is wire, 1" squares, with raised roosts. A second chamber for nesting boxes is lined with straw. We move it every few days to minimize the build-up on the grass. The house is 4' x 2', and the run is 6' x 2.5' When it cools down too much, we plan to move the whole setup into the barn. I know it's small, but they're small.. and it's temporary. We're working on plans for something bigger.
They're eating chick crumbles, grass, and whatever bugs they can catch.
I would like to treat him myself if at all possible, and I worry with colder weather coming about having to wash him and put him back outside.. I called around when we had a chick with breathing problems, and the closest vet that sees poultry is an hour away. Any idea what could be causing this, and what I can do to fix it?
Thanks!
Droppings are mostly solid, usually brown, and white, sometimes with a slight reddish or yellow tint. They're sticking to his backside, the feathers on his belly, and his tail feathers. Now, to add insult to injury, the skin around his vent and on his poor little belly is peeling off. I'm guessing that this may be the result of repeated washings.. Aside from these symptoms, he doesn't act sick. He eats, drinks, runs around with the other chicks, and checks his pretty self out in my bathroom mirror after baths. None of the other chicks are having this issue or showing any other symptoms of illness.
Aside from the baths (warm running water), I've tried baby oil and vaseline on his bottom. Vaseline seems to help the longest, pushing baths out to every few days. I've tried giving him/them oatmeal (I don't remember where I read it, but saw somewhere that might help). They also had a week of tetracycline in their water (one of the other chicks started having trouble breathing -- this helped!).
They started out in a brooder with corn cob bedding, then with pine shavings. From there, the group moved into a small coop with an enclosed run. The floor inside the roosting area is wire, 1" squares, with raised roosts. A second chamber for nesting boxes is lined with straw. We move it every few days to minimize the build-up on the grass. The house is 4' x 2', and the run is 6' x 2.5' When it cools down too much, we plan to move the whole setup into the barn. I know it's small, but they're small.. and it's temporary. We're working on plans for something bigger.
They're eating chick crumbles, grass, and whatever bugs they can catch.
I would like to treat him myself if at all possible, and I worry with colder weather coming about having to wash him and put him back outside.. I called around when we had a chick with breathing problems, and the closest vet that sees poultry is an hour away. Any idea what could be causing this, and what I can do to fix it?
Thanks!
