Shop Baby Chicks For Sale!
Feather Lover Farms would like to help ensure our customer's rare baby chick order, gets off to a strong & healthy start. Please read the below info about pasty butt, a common baby chick illness and how to prevent or treat it.
Pasty Butt - This is when baby chicks droppings stick to and build up on their bottom/vent. It will eventually harden and seal the vent shut. If you do not treat pasty butt, baby chicks may not survive the condition.
Common baby chick illness in newly hatched chicks and is usually caused from stress from incorrect chick brooder temperature or stress of the chicks from shipping. Almost all of our baby chicks for sale are shipped and arrive in happy healthy condition, however, sometimes chicks can become cold during shipping which can cause pasty butt after you receive them. If chicks are stressed during shipping you want to make sure you give them warm water when they first drink. Cold water can cause the pasty butt if stress occurred during shipping. You may also want to give them water first before they eat to ensure they are not dehydrated after their shipped journey. Pasty butt is less likely to occur if the chicks are drinking warm water as their first time drinking. Putting the water near the floor of heat lamp where the chicks lay to keep warm will help ensure the water is warm. Adding electrolytes (Sav-A-Chick) in the chicks drinking water can help their immune system and hydrate the chicks to prevent pasty butt. Some people also add sugar in new newly shipped baby chicks drinking water for an energy boost but too much sugar can also cause the pasty butt. Adding 2 tablespoons of Apple Cider Vinegar per quart of drinking water for the first week of receiving your hipped baby chicks is a great way to help prevent pasty butt.
A baby chick with pasty butt should be cleaned up ASAP before the their sticky bottom hardens and plugs their vent. There are a few ways to treat pasty butt and one effective and safe way is to get a bowl of lukewarm water and a pair of rubber gloves. Dip the chicks bottom in it and soak for a minute or two. Grab a paper towel and dip the towel in the water as well and begin to gently rub the chicks bottom to remove the pasty butt. You may have to dip the chicks bottom in the water bowl a few times to loosen and remove the pasty butt. Be extremely careful not to tare the chicks abdomen! Their belly button is tender and can tare open if you pull on the pasty butt too hard and do not allow the chick to soak long enough. Take your time and allow the warm water and wet paper towel to do the work. When all the droppings are cleaned off, grab dry paper towels and gently pat the chick dry. After the baby chick is fluffy and dry, apply a small amount of vaseline to the chicks bottom and vent area to help lubricate and prevent their next droppings from becoming pasty butt again. If your chick continues to get the pasty butt, make sure your chick brooder is at the correct temperature of about 90-95 degrees the first week of the chicks life. Lowering it about 5 degrees each week. Another option is to change their chick starter feed to a higher quality feed and ensure it is medicated chick starter feed.
Feather Lover Farms hopes your baby chick order with us does not involve the unfortunate pasty butt but at least now you are informed on how to prevent or treat it.
Thank you for reading!
Feather Lover Farms