Pasty butts are a common issue with new chicks. Just drag up a chair and watch them as they go about their business. If you see any, grab them and clean them with warm wet rags or paper towels. You don't have to dry them, since they'll run back under the heat when you're done. If I notice any chicks with pasty butts, I'll take each chick out and inspect every one of them, and after they pass inspection or get cleaned, I put them in a tub or tote next to the brooder until I've checked every one. Pasty butts can be lethal to young chicks, so make sure you check them regularly. Another thing that can help is to start them on probiotics as soon as they go into the brooder. Sav-A-Chick Probiotics is what I use. It adds beneficial bacteria to their digestive systems, which in turn helps with proper digestion. It doesn't cure pasty butts, but it helps reduce the occurrence.
As for the runt, it may never catch up to the others. It's often best to let nature take it's course. I've found that intervening in the hatching process most often produces poor results. It's sad to see a chick hatch and not make it, but it's all part of natural selection. Those that are strong enough to make it normally grow into happy and healthy chickens. The other chicks know the runt is inferior, and that's why they attack it.. survival of the fittest kind of thing. If you choose to separate it from the others, they may never accept it, no matter what. It may never be of any benefit to your breeding program. It's easy to get attached to the "runt", but these aren't puppies you'll be raising for companionship. They're birds that you'll be selectively breeding for the sole purpose of improving the flock. Holding onto anything less than the best is going backwards. Just my 2c...
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your hatch.
