My chick has poop stuck on its butt. How do I safely clean it?

Question

i just got a chick and there seems to be a hard crust of poop on her butt. it is pretty stuck on and i don't want to hurt her. but, i'm afraid its interfering with her movements. what should i do? Pet's info: Bird | Unknown - Bird | Female | unspayed

Andrea M. Brodie, DVM · Accepted Answer

This is called "pasty butt". You need to soak the chick's butt in luke warm running water until the poop is soft and then remove it. Work fast to keep the chick from getting cold and do this in a warm room. Do not pull the feces off, but gently "coax" them off, so you will not teat the chick's skin. Towel dry the chick, then use a hair dryer on low setting to completely dry the downy feathers. if it happen again you can put vaseline on the down around the vent so the feces do not stick to it. Causes of pasty butt are stress, being cold, overheating, sometimes viral or bacterial infections and improper diet which cause diarrhea. Prevention: Maintain proper brooder temperature Add Probiotics to the chicks' drinking water Do not offer treats, feed starter feed If pasty butt is recurrent, offer some scrambled eggs mixed into the starter feed and if that clears things up change brands of feed.

My chick has poop stuck on its butt. How do I safely clean it?

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