Second day of new chick owner question - chick poop

[Toi-toi]

Hello~~

2nd day of my chicks today. I noticed that poop stuck to some of my chicks.
I read back some post about that said...
pull it out, don't pull it out, wipe off and wash them....
So what is best for them???

If wash their bottom, is it OK to wet them??
They are only 2days old.
If I use warm water, still take body temp to dry off....
HELP PLEASE!

 

[dumb_cluck]

Take a paper towel and wet it with warm water. Then gently rub the poop ball and get it soft. Keep working at it until it falls off by itself. DO NOT PULL. Make sure you dry the chicks butt when your finished.

BTW, drafts can cause the "pasty butt". So make sure your brooder is kept in a draft free place with their heat lamp at 85 to 90 degrees. You can check the temp with a thermometer placed in the brooder.

If the chicks huddle under the lamp, they are cold. If they run away from it, it is too hot. Raise or lower the lamp to adjust.

Also be careful what you are feeding them. NO TREATS for at least two weeks.

Hope this helps.

 

[newchicksnducks]

Yep, you have the dreaded "pastey butt"!

You have to use whatever works for you in order to clean their tushes. If you don't, they get blocked up and can die

Out of my 3 "batches" of chicks that I had, only one group had this, and only 2-3 chicks. I tried the warm water on a rag method - not so good. I tried gently pulling it off...again, it did not work well for me. I've read that you can soak their bottoms in water to remove the poo, then blow dry on low heat. I ended up taking a pair of small, sharp scissors and delicately clipped the feathers (and poo) away from their bottoms. I then coated the tush with vaseline. This seems to help keep the poo from sticking. I've also heard to use olive oil on their rears for the same propblem. Find out what works best for you, starting with the least invasive. Good luck with your peeps!

 

[Toi-toi]

OK, I wiped their bottoms. It's not squeaky clean but better than before.
They seem fine right now.
Sleeping a lot more than yesterday.
Thanks for suggestion

 

[Boo-Boo's Mama]

My first chicks had pasty butt the first week. When I fould one that had the problem, I ran warm water over the area until it turned loose then took a clean dry washcloth to dry them and put them under the light in the brooder. None had any problem with this treatment. I think I had the brooder too hot because with the 2nd and 3rd set of chicks I did not have the lamp as low and there were no problems with pasty butt.

 

[gryeyes]

For some reason, it occurs more when the brooder is too warm for the chicks. I have found that most of my chicks were quite happy with their brooder about 5 degrees cooler than the recommendation for each week.

But I just hold the pasty butted chick in my hand, run warm water over its bum, and work the pasty bits off with a warm, wet washcloth. Then I fluff up the chick - gently - in a towel I've run in the dryer for a few minutes to warm it, and put the chick back into the brooder directly under the heat lamp.

If she's chilled, she stays there for a bit. If not, she moves away. Voila!

 

[Toi-toi]

I cleaned bum again. Seems like only one has poop bum.
Not clean as others but I saw the chick pooped and didn't stick to her bum.
So I guess she is OK now.

 

[bigstack]

Shipping stress and being too warm are the worst to cause pasty butt! I just hold them in my hand And lower them into a sink filled with 100 degree water. Then rub. Once clean i will hold them in a towel and use a low-warm blowdryer about 16-18 inches away to dry! No problems ever!!!

Your doing GREAT!!!

God Bless!