Someone talk me off the roof!

[catchthewind]

Quote:
Think of it this way: it's a good idea to pick up each of your chicks every day to get them used to handling anyway. As you pick each one up, give a quick peek at its little butt. They will probably all be fine, but if one does get plugged up, you want to notice it quickly.

Thanks Elmo, that is a good point.

It seems like it's extremely common from reading on the board, but I wonder if it's one of those things you tend to hear about more when it happens than when it doesn't.

 

[gryeyes]

Quote:
Oh yah, everybody with chicks who have not had pasty butt don't post "Auuugggh!! My poor chicks have clean butts and there's nothing wrong with them! What should I do?!?!?!"

 

[Cass]

OP,

A billion years ago I borrowed a stryfoam incubator, the 6 page booklet that came with it and ordered a dozen eggs through the mail, from a HATCHERY and plugged it in the day the eggs came in my classroom of 10 FOUR YEAR OLDS. I didn't wash my hands before I handled the eggs and I handed one egg around the class to touch and see. I turned the eggs TWICE a day, except on weekends when I only went over ONCE to turn them. 11 of the 12 hatched. (I suspect the one that didn't was the one I passed around, but who really knows?) I didn't mark the eggs, I didn't make sure I kept them evenly spaced or even evenly turned, for that matter. I didn't have ANY water in there for humidity...the booklet didn't say to do that.

When they hatched I put up a 100 watt bulb and water in a PIE PAN (no stones, oops) and food in a chick feeder (also borrowed) I didn't have a thermometer and I didn't raise the bulb a little each week. All ELEVEN of them lived, but only God knows how with 10 children touching them. (they weren't allowed to pick them up, just pet them and then wash their hands)

Four of them went home with students ...a roos...LOL...the rest went to the farm of the person who lent me the 'bator.

My point? I KNEW NOTHING. Actually , less than nothing, about chickens. And I did almost everything wrong. And they lived. And thrived.

So give me your hand and come down from that roof. Now go put together a first aid kit for the most common chicky problems: Sevin dust, some wormer and Organic Apple Cider Vinegar and MAYBE a syringe or two to irrigate a crop or drop vitamins on a birds beak...Now you are ready for the most common problems and don't have to panic if you are faced with one of them.

Don't you feel better?

 

[dbounds10]

You guys are the best, I got through the pasty butt on 2 of the girls thanks to the sitz bath method. I got through the crusty feather feet through the toothbrush method. I had a scare that I might have gotten ringworm from them but the jury is still out on that one. Going to the doc to see if that is what it really is, but have been told its rare to get it from birds. I am itchy all over so I think its allergies or I am just plain psycho

 

[ralleia]

Quote:
Oh yah, everybody with chicks who have not had pasty butt don't post "Auuugggh!! My poor chicks have clean butts and there's nothing wrong with them! What should I do?!?!?!"

Ok, I'll bite.

AUUUUUGHHH! I've successfully raised about 150 chicks over the past seven years and I still have no clue what pasty butt is! HELP ME! What should I do???

 

[hickchick55]

I was also getting more nervous the more I read- but I jumped off the roof today and got 9 peeps !!! I am so glad i did, and so much more secure knowing I have this resource. Thank you BYC people.