More chick chicks here and more chick chicks there. We picked up three more chicks. These were from the same batch that we had picked up the first chicks from. Obviously, they were the same age and size. They are starting to get little tail feathers. However, one of the three new chicks seemed to start getting lethargic within hours after we put the three of them into the brooder. I also noted early on that this one seemed to love eating the shavings and totally ignoring the feed.
So, I started thinking about the environment that they came from had a screen flooring, and no shavings. I wondered if this was causing her to be confused. I noted that by the evening, the other chicks would step on her and she wouldn't even bother to get up. She would look up momentarily, then lay her head right back down.
This time, I isolated her in a small wire cage with no shavings, but did fold up some paper towels on the base of the cage. (This is a cage that I purchased for the guinea pigs as a just in case I need to take one to the vet. It is easy to clean out and sterilize.) I added little water and food containers in the cage. Also, I covered up just the top of the little cage (but not the sides) with a cloth so that the other chicks could not "mess" on her or her food. The cage was tall enough that she could stand up and walk around a bit if she decided she wanted to. I put this little cage next to the spot where all the other chicks liked to sleep. This ensured she stayed in a warm area, but still has air flow and the other chicks were nearby. She was not getting pasty (yet) but she just did not seem interested in eating or drinking anything. I checked on her several times throughout the night, but still she seemed extremely listless.
The next morning, I let her out of the isolation cage since she was standing on her own, although she still did not seem interested in eating. Then, suddenly, mid-morning, she kicked into eating mode. While all the other chicks were napping, she dug into the food and water. Soon, the others joined in, crowding around her, almost to the point of pushing her away from the food... but she fought back and squeezed back in to the tray.
This time, I isolated her in a small wire cage with no shavings, but did fold up some paper towels on the base of the cage. (This is a cage that I purchased for the guinea pigs as a just in case I need to take one to the vet. It is easy to clean out and sterilize.) I added little water and food containers in the cage. Also, I covered up just the top of the little cage (but not the sides) with a cloth so that the other chicks could not "mess" on her or her food. The cage was tall enough that she could stand up and walk around a bit if she decided she wanted to. I put this little cage next to the spot where all the other chicks liked to sleep. This ensured she stayed in a warm area, but still has air flow and the other chicks were nearby. She was not getting pasty (yet) but she just did not seem interested in eating or drinking anything. I checked on her several times throughout the night, but still she seemed extremely listless.The next morning, I let her out of the isolation cage since she was standing on her own, although she still did not seem interested in eating. Then, suddenly, mid-morning, she kicked into eating mode. While all the other chicks were napping, she dug into the food and water. Soon, the others joined in, crowding around her, almost to the point of pushing her away from the food... but she fought back and squeezed back in to the tray.
Hence, at this point in time, we have five baby chicks and thankfully, no more pasty bottom. One of the suggestions made to me was to feed the chicks some mashed up egg yoke once a day until they are old enough to build up a healthy digestive tract. Also, be sure to include some pro-biotic and electrolytes in the water, plus keep the water in the coolest portion of the brooder. Unfortunately, when I do this, the chicks seemingly forget to drink water. Because of this, I have been moving the water around in the brooder until I have found a good region between the warmest area but before the chicks get to the food. That seems to be a decent trade off, for now, since they remember to drink throughout the day. I am changing the water out every other day with fresh (treated) water and cleaned trough. I have also added a sprinkle of grit to the food. Since making these changes, we have not encountered any more pasty (pooh buildup) on any of them.
I think I have a better understanding now, after doing some more research. One chicken breeder explained that baby chicks are born without any healthy bacteria in their digestive tracts. Chicks that are raised by their mommas simply don't develop the pasty pooh buildup problems (aka pasty butt). The author suggested that the chicks tend to eat their momma's pooh and ultimately end up getting the good bacteria from their momma that way. So, some of the suggestions to help build up the bacteria more quickly involved the pro-biotics in the water, a small amount of mashed up egg yokes of hard boiled eggs on a daily basis or a little bit of plain live culture yogurt. The articles pointed out that not all yogurt is the same. Yogurt with live cultures in it is not as tasty as the stuff with fruit and sweeteners that most of us like as a treat. Just be alert to getting the yogurt from your dairy shelves that have the live cultures.
After learning that, I did boil some eggs and mashed up half of a yoke each afternoon for the past few days. So far, the chicks definitely seem to love the egg yokes to the point that it turns into a feeding frenzy as they scramble around each other to get the last little nibbles. Hopefully, this will do the trick and we will not lose any more baby chicks!
