very concerned

[bethtista]

today when checking the chicks for pasty butt, I noticed that all of them had the same problem but instead of the butt it was where they urinate. it was quite clogged so I did my best to unclog most of them though some were too tough even for a warm washcloth. They get vi-tal in their water everyday and are still on chick starter, they are only one week old. What is going on?

 

[howfunkyisurchicken]

Umm, chicks don't have a separate place to urinate. All of their waste comes out of their vent (urates will be the whiter bits in the poo). If your chicks are still very young, what you might be trying remove may be the umbilical cord (if its below the vent). If there no poo blocking their vent, they're fine. If they've got scabs where the umbilical cord was attached, just leave that be. It'll dry up/fall off/heal over on its own.

Good luck

 

[Ridgerunner]

Chickens do not urinate the way most animals do. The white stuff in the poop is the equivalent of urine. It all comes out the same place.

There are a lot of different theories about what causes pasty butt or how to treat it. If the vent gets plugged, it can kill them. You will need to remove it. That may take a lot of soaking and rubbing. If it is just stuck to down you can probably pull it off, down and all, without harming them but if it is stuck to skin you can do some serious damage. There is nothing wrong with holding a chick in lukewarm water, about 100 degrees Fahrenheit, and letting it soak even if the down gets wet as long as it does not get chilled. Be in a warm room and get it back in a warm brooder to dry off before it chills.

 

[bethtista]

baby chicks had umbilical chords in the egg?

i feel better though, maybe they just got a little wet from playing around the water dish and something hardened or something. Who knows, as long as they will be ok.