Removing dried poop off chick

[Tanner B]

So, I've been a chick farmer for about 5 days now, and a few of them have been ending up with some dried poop clumps (not blocking the vent) for the last couple of days. I tried the warm water trick, and tried to be careful, but ended up picking off the poop and inadvertently removing some feathers in the process. Will their backside feathers grow back? Do I have to worry about poop contacting bare skin? I didn't mean to be so rough with the little chick, but it all just came peeling off. Any advice is appreciated. Thanks,
Tanner

 

[dtpauly]

I have a year and a half old chicken who had this today. She lost her sister earlier this week, so I don't know if it was stress/depression that caused this. I got it off but it took quite awhile with a wet paper towel and warm water. I hope she will be ok.

 

[SonoranChick]

So, I've been a chick farmer for about 5 days now, and a few of them have been ending up with some dried poop clumps (not blocking the vent) for the last couple of days. I tried the warm water trick, and tried to be careful, but ended up picking off the poop and inadvertently removing some feathers in the process. Will their backside feathers grow back? Do I have to worry about poop contacting bare skin? I didn't mean to be so rough with the little chick, but it all just came peeling off. Any advice is appreciated. Thanks,
Tanner

As long as they are acting normal, I would think they are just fine. The removal of some down/feathers, while likely painful, makes it much more difficult for more poop to get stuck there in the future. And yes, they will definitely grow back if you can, I would put a TINY bit of neosporin on the area to soothe and protect, and to aid in keeping more sticky poo away (it makes the area "slick")...But don't use too much because it seemed to bother my girls if they could "feel" it...but it was worth it and seemed to help! Good luck!

 

[dtpauly]

As long as they are acting normal, I would think they are just fine. The removal of some down/feathers, while likely painful, makes it much more difficult for more poop to get stuck there in the future. And yes, they will definitely grow back if you can, I would put a TINY bit of neosporin on the area to soothe and protect, and to aid in keeping more sticky poo away (it makes the area "slick")...But don't use too much because it seemed to bother my girls if they could "feel" it...but it was worth it and seemed to help! Good luck!

 

[dtpauly]

Thank you! I will try to get that on her tomorrow. Her sister died earlier this week, so she is alone now, until Monday when I get 2 more.

 

[SonoranChick]

Thank you! I will try to get that on her tomorrow. Her sister died earlier this week, so she is alone now, until Monday when I get 2 more.

Aw I hope she bounces back and enjoys her new mates. Sorry to hear about her sister, it's always so hard to lose a member of the flock

 

[furbabies86]

I am having this issue with my bantam chick now and i have to clean it every day because it just dries. i feel bad because i am using a QTIP and warm water to get it to soften but her butt is bare because sometimes her hair is so stuck in the poop so some of it comes off with the poop. Any suggestions on how to make this easier. i am a little worried to put her in a warm water bath because she is very tiny compared to the others (not growing as fast as the others) so i am unsure. Thanks everyone!