I washed the backside of 6 chicks yesterday and began wondering if there was a way to prevent, or help prevent, pasty-butt. Has anyone tried Vaseline? Or would that just make the wood chips stick to them? Ugh…..there’s got to be something! …Although the chicks do appear to enjoy sitting it their little hot-tubs of warm water. lol
Got any remedies for pasty-butt??
ZZ gives the chicks tufts of grass with the roots and dirt still attached. Once they start eating on the new treats the problem is over.
To clean them, I just hold them under the faucet of warm water.. the poo will just melt off.. and the warm water will encourage them to "go" which they need to do! Better than pulling feathers out. You won't need to "dress" it with anything if you give em some dirt..
Yes, get some dirt in there! A dirt clod that they can play "King of the mountain" on will cure them in no time.
Amen to that!
Well, if that don't beat all! .....My daughter who helped me wash the pasty-butt chicks last night, Heather, was here when I read your replies. We looked at each other and said, "Dirt!?!?" So I went outside, dug up a clump of grass with a shovel, put the whole clump in the brooder with the chicks, and they went wild! They LOVE it! Pecking at the dirt, grabbing a little bit of root and running for their life while 8 chicks chased them, trying to get the root. And it wasn't 10 minutes before "King of the hill" began! LOL
Thanks SO much ZZ and Porkpal; you guys are awesome! I owe you big time!! :-) Hugs!
Who would have thought? Dirt! HA!
Amazing, isn't it? ZZ's pasty butt recipe has worked wonders for so many chicks and probably saved the lives of many. My friend's chicks had pasty butt so bad it looked like they were wearing pantalooms, one died. I told her ZZ's recipe and they were all better in a day! They LOVE the dirt/grass ball, and it's so fun to watch them play while they're getting better too.
i have raised chics 3 times and this is the third brood. I m wondering if i didn't get little raptors instead of chics ?
got the grass ball in.... nothing...
but they just attack one another like little raptors ?
normal ?
hope the grass calms them down.
the other broods didn't act so wild ?
does the dirt ball also help diarrea
mine still have diarreah no matter what i do
sorry didn't mean to hijack the thread. i was just wondering.
Hi Sue!
How old are the chicks? Are they on medicated chick feed? That might help. Sometimes they get wild if there isn't enough room in the pen, it drives them batty. Try throwing stuff in their pen for them to eat/play with. I've been throwing in an ear of sweet corn every day, they go crazy for it. They have a big feeding frenzy and then take a nap LOL. I also toss in a handful of oatmeal so they have something to scratch around. Everyday they get a fresh dirt/grass ball to eat.
Is their heat lamp white or red? I've heard a white heat lamp can cause them to pick on each other.
Hope your greenhouse business is going great!!!!!
Taynors, you're not hijacking a thread, especially if your asking questions that pertain to the topic.. there is nothing wrong with that!! That's what we are here for.
It's dirt, more than the grass that helps them. They always have runny poo as babiez, no big deal.. unless it's mostly water and doesn't stop.
This thread just tickles me to death.. This is something I figured out on my own, and it works! I am just smiling so big.. Thank you all, (especially Porkpal) for passing this on!!
I checked the chicks' back sides today and they all look great! Still no more pasty-butt!! Yaaaayyyyyyyy!!!!!! :-D
ZZ, your "miracle dirt cure" for pasty-butt really should be a sticky!
I would think most folks starting out get chicks and they need to know about this!
What ever made you think to try dirt????
I've never seen a chick with a broody mom outside have pasty butt.. That's what made me think they need what the mom shows em what to eat.. I'm so glad your babiez are better! :)
What might cause grown laying hens to have pasty butt?
Probably pooping in the nest.. or roosting sitting down.. Mine get that sometimes, just not the same as chicks.. Just residual yuck.. LOL
This looks like white loose bowels has run down their feathers below the vent.
You can clean her and apply Vasoline to keep it from sticking. I used to have one hen who always had a messy rear. Whether I cleaned her or not she seemed perfectly okay.
It seems to be half the pen at one time or another. They don't seem to be bothered by it.