Pasty Butt

Reader Contribution by Jessi Spring
Published on February 14, 2019
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Sorry Mom. I know “butt” isn’t a lady-like word to say.  But it’s what this condition is called in a baby chick, and it can be fatal. But it’s very common and easily treatable if you know what to look for.

It basically happens when the conditions are not exactly right for a baby chick.  It’s more common in baby chicks that are shipped through the mail. Really and truly, I don’t think they know exactly what causes it. But I can tell you that I’ve never bought a batch of baby chicks from the store or through the mail that didn’t have at least one that had Pasty Butt. We ordered 20 that came last week.  Of those, four have it so far. The good news is that it is very simple to treat.

We simply take the ones that have Pasty Butt, remove them from the other chickens, and put them in a box so I can keep track of them. We fill a small bowl with warm (but not hot) water. You hold the chicken’s booty into the water and let it soften up the waste that is stuck on their booty. After it softens up for a couple of minutes, you can wipe it off with a paper towel. If it’s really bad, you may have to do it two or three times, or even use some diluted blue Dawn to wash them.  Most instructions online encourage you to wash the chickens with your hand. I have to be honest, there’s no way I’m bathing a baby chicken’s booty with my bare hand. So I use a corner of a paper towel for this. Plus it helps to loosen up the waste on their bottoms.

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