We just bought baby chicks from a reputable hatchery in town. They were fine the day we got them, but the next day some of the chicks bottoms were glopped up with droppings stuck to the vent area. I looked it up in Carla Emery's book and she said it was pasted vent. I did what she said, washed it off gently and applied vaseline to the area. My question now is, will the chicks be alright and will this keep happening to these same chicks that were affected again or will the one time treatment I did today fix the problem for good. I didnt know if this is something that will keep re-ocurring over the next few days and if it is life threatening. We bought our first chicks last year and they did fine with no problems like this. I would appreciate everyone's help. Thanks so much!!

-- Denise Priest (jeremy37@indy.net), April 13, 2000

Answers

It may happen for several days .Get them some grit , it will help.This is also very common.

-- Patty Gamble (fodfarms@slic.com), April 14, 2000.

The chicks will be just fine, it is just stress and moving. It may not happen again, and it's no indication of their vigor. It's just poop drying on their down and clumping up. If you don't clean it off, they can't eliminate properly, and THAT may kill them. Sounds like you did everything just right!

-- Rachel (rldk@hotmail.com), April 14, 2000.

Hi Denise,

Relax, you're doing fine. Keep them properly warm, keep the clean, plentiful water in front of them and give them a bit of fine grit. You might also give them a couple of handsfuls of very small leaved greens or finely chop it for them. I've never had to unplug any chicks twice once I got their environmental conditions where they needed to be.

...........Alan

-- A.T. Hagan (athagan@netscape.netq), April 14, 2000.

Just went through this with my first chicks. First thing was to get the guck off, then increase their grit. After that I had to recheck their heat lamp ( the kids had moved it). It only lasted a few days, but I did lose 1 chick. This was due to an injury I caused by pulling the guck off. BE VERY CAREFULL! It can get on their bellybuttons, which is what I pulled out with the guck. Oh well, live and learn. As this is my first batch, I expected to lose a lot more than I have, so this is turning out to be a good experience. annette

-- annette (j_a_henry@yahoo.com), April 14, 2000.

Patty is right again. Give a little grit (we pick up the fine sand on the road after a winter of sanding for snow) and use a warm soak to relieve those chicks that have been affected. BE GENTLE! But I have never had it happen more than once, generally in the first 2 days after getting the new chicks. Good luck!

-- Brad (homefixer@mix-net.net), April 14, 2000.

Brad, it seems like the sand off the road might not be too good for baby chicks, if they salt the roads at all where you live? Though come to think of it, I've seen critters licking it off the road, so never mind.

-- Kathleen Sanderson (stonycft@worldpath.net), April 14, 2000.

Hey, baby grit costs less than 25 cents a pound. Buy a dollars worth and be certain its the right size and clean. This isn't a thing to guess about, unless you want to lose birds over a few pennies.

-- Anne (Healthytouch10@hotmail.com), April 15, 2000.

Chick grit may cost less than 25 cents a lb, but I can't buy it in less than 50lbs. There is only 1 carrier, and they won't break down a bag. So I went and got some grit for small birds (finches, parakeets, etc). I tried to buy size for size. So far it is working, but with my kids playing with the grit, it is turning out more expensive. Should have gone ahead and bought the bag! Oh well, live and learn. Turns out I'm doing a lot of that lately. annette

-- annette (j_a_henry@yahoo.com), April 16, 2000.