My brother just had 14 chicks hatch, they are all doing wonderfull accept 2, they are not growing at all, i don't think that they can go to the bathroom. their bums are all covered in poop, i tried to get it off with a warm, wet paper towl, but it just makes them bleed, and cakes back up. i am afraid that they are going to die. their shape looks like somebody choped of their rear ends, and they don't have any feathers back there. they don't walk properly either. we separated them from the others. what else should i do?
Hi Rachel, the only thing you can do is keep at them with the wet paper towel. If you've already caused them to bleed (I know you didn't mean to), then use a soft cloth with warm water.
This morning, the one especialy looks bad, he doesn't eat, and just lays there, neither of them can stand with out sliping, even though they are on newspaper. i will try cleaning them again. they are nice and cozy warm. i just hate to see them suffer.
Pasting up is a problem and you have to catch it as early as you can. It sounds too late for these chicks. If they smell funny (ketosis) they are going to die. Some people may have had better luck, but if you haven't gotten a chick to eat by the time it is 5 days old it will eventually die even if you try to force feed it. By 5 days the chick starts to metabolize (destroy for fuel) its own tissue. They sometimes start to smell funny because they start to produce ketones in this process.
By HannahH on Wednesday, March 27, 2002 - 08:22 pm:
You really have to get the poop good and wet and soft with the water. Then so very gently try to get the poop off their little behinds. You are their only hope, and you just have to really take your time and be gentle. If they stay pasted up long enough, they will suffer and die.
I've had chicks do this, but I immediatly got the poop off, and usually cleaning them once or twice solves the problem. You might even want to try a little baby oil directly on the poopy area. This might also help to soften it enough to clear their little vents.
Make sure to keep them good and warm also, since you'll already have them wet from the cloth and all. It's OK for them to be damp till they dry as long as there's enough heat and no drafts. Good luck and let us know if they get better.
By Rachel (Aurora2000) on Thursday, March 28, 2002 - 10:01 am:
thanks for your help,
Rachel
By Rokimoto on Friday, March 29, 2002 - 09:14 am:
Next time if you want to avoid tearing the delicate tissue you will have to wet the poop and let it soften before you try to remove it. If it can't be squeezed and molded like clay it is too hard to try and take off. Some warm water and a soft cloth is what I used. Wet the area and put the chick back in the brooder for a few minutes and repeat until the paste softens up enough to pinch it and pull it off in small soft pieces. Chicks often paste up if they get chilled or there is a draft in the brooder area. Make sure that there is an area out of drafts that the chicks can go to get warm. You can't just put a heat lamp in a barn in cold weather and expect the chicks to have adequate heat. You brooder should have an area where it is 95 degrees F for the first week. You can lower the temp or raise the heat lamp to decrease the temperature about 5 degrees a week.