Once you start raising chicks, pasty butt becomes a part of everyday lingo. And yes, pasty butt is just as gross as it sounds. Knowing how to identify, and most importantly, how to treat pasty butt in baby chicks is essential to raising a healthy brood. However, you should also know what causes pasty butt and how to prevent pasty butt from becoming a problem for your chicks. But don’t worry, it’s all common sense for pioneer homesteaders and I’ll walk you through everything you need to know about pasty butt!

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What is Pasty Butt?

Pasty butt is when a chick’s poop (I like to call chicken poop ‘droppings’) gets stuck to the chick’s vent (where droppings exit the chick’s body). Pasty butt can also be called pasted vent, pasting, sticky bottom, or paste up.

The droppings that stick to the chick’s vent clog up the internal systems. The vent is where waste is eliminated from the body, basically the ending point for the digestive system and eventually the reproductive system as the chick matures. When waste can’t be properly eliminated from the body because the vent is blocked, it can lead to system poisoning.

System poisoning occurs when bacteria starts to build up within the chick’s body. Eventually the poisoning will lead to death. So pasty butt can be a fatal condition for baby chicks.

If you are letting a mother hen raise chicks, then you shouldn’t have to worry about pasty butt. Mama hen will take care of any pasty butt problems. Chicks raised with a mother hen rarely have pasty butt issues.

How to Recognize Pasty Butt

Pasty butt is most common in chicks under 2 weeks of age. It can happen to chicks who are older than 2 weeks, but it is not nearly as common. Chicks under 2 weeks of age are more susceptible to the causes of pasty butt, which we will discuss in a little bit.

You will want to be checking your young chicks every day for signs of pasty butt since it is very common in young broods.

To identify pasty butt in a baby chick, look for these signs:

• droppings stuck to the down feathers around the vent
• lethargic behavior
• lack of interest in food or water
• attempts to preen the rear-end, or where poop is stuck to the butt feathers

The severity of pasty butt is dependent on a few factors. The first factor being the size of the droppings mass that has accumulated on the vent. Large droppings masses will be easiest to spot, but they also mean the system has been clogged for longer. Small masses will take more inspection, but it also means you have caught the pasty butt before it can cause too many issues.

The second factor is whether or not the droppings have hardened or not. Large dropping masses often have hardened to the vent and will be harder to remove. If you catch the pasty butt soon enough, there will just be a little poop stuck to the vent and it may still be soft and easy to remove.

How to Treat Pasty Butt

As you can imagine, the sooner you can treat a case of pasty butt, the better off your chick will be! Plus, it is a lot easier to treat minor cases of pasty butt versus more severe cases. Poop that has already hardened to the vent will need a little more softening and you will need to be very careful not to rip any skin or pull out any down feathers.

Here’s how to treat pasty butt:

• Location– Choose a warm location, preferably with access to water and a sink that you don’t mind getting dirty!
• Option #1. Rinse- If you do have access to a sink, get a gentle trickle of warm water running. Gently hold the chick’s bottom under the running water so that the water flows over the poop that is stuck to the feathers. Depending on the severity of the pasting will determine how long you have to run water over the pasty butt.
• Option #2. Soak– Another option is to fill a shallow bowl with warm water. Then gently hold the chick over the warm water so that the clogged droppings are soaked in the warm water. The warm water will cause the droppings to release.
• Wipe– No matter how you get the pasty butt wet, take intervals between rinsing or soaking to gently wipe the poop away from the vent and off of the down feathers. An absorbent towel, paper towel, or tissue works well for wiping away the poop and absorbing extra moisture.
• Dry– Once all the droppings have been removed and you can clearly see the chick’s vent, make sure you thoroughly dry any parts of the chick that got wet. Obviously the rear-end will be the wettest, but you may also need to dry the tail, abdomen, or legs. An absorbent paper towel or cloth works well for drying. You don’t want the chick to get chilled!

After Treatment:

Once the chick has been treated for pasty butt, you can put it back in with the rest of the brood. Make sure it returns to normal chick activities and gets warmed back-up quickly. Watch for future, re-occurring cases of pasty butt. It may help to apply a little bit of petroleum jelly around the vent to help fresh droppings not stick to the damp down feathers.

Treatment Tips:

• severe cases of pasty butt will take multiple rinses or soaks with intervals of gentle wiping
• make sure you wipe the droppings, don’t pull
• avoid pulling out any tender down feathers or accidentally pulling at the vent
• watch out for the navel, which is located below the vent and about halfway between the vent and between the legs of the chick
• don’t accidentally pull at the navel, which is where the chick healed after absorbing the yolk sac in the egg before hatching
• dry the chick as much as possible and try not to let it get too chilled
• use warm water that is warm to your touch but not hot
• future cases may just require a little wiping with a warm, damp towel to remove them and prevent them from hardening to the vent again

What Causes Pasty Butt?

Anything that causes a baby chick to have loose, sticky droppings can lead to pasty butt. For young chicks, that can be any number of things since they are so sensitive to their environmental conditions! Here are some common factors that can cause pasty butt:

• Mild Stress- anything that mildly or intermittently stresses out a chick can cause minor or occasional incidents of pasty butt
• Too Cold– occurs if the brooder temperature is too low and the chicks are huddled or cheeping loudly (stressed)
• Too Hot– occurs when the brooder temperature is too high and the chicks are panting and avoiding the heat source
• Diet– an improper diet can lead to pasty butt, especially if the diet is high in soybeans
• Cold Water- if chicks drink water that is too cold it can lead to pasting (internal stress)
• Too Much Sugar Water– giving your chicks too much sugar water can cause pasty butt
• Stress– anything that stresses a young chick out can cause pasty butt issues
• Disease– pasty butt can indicate a disease, especially if it happens to older chicks

To identify the cause of pasty butt, think of it this way:

Occasional Pasting-

If only one or two chicks have a pasty butt issues or if the cases are very sporadic, then mild stressors are likely the cause. The chick may have gotten too warm or too cold for a time or experienced some other stressful situation that was eventually resolved.

Chicks raised under a mother hen usually don’t have pasty butt problems. However, if you do notice some of the chicks having minor pasty butt issues, the cause could be from the diet. Check out this article here on What to Feed Growing Chickens!

Re-Occurring Pasting-

Pasting that occurs to a majority of your brood or becomes a regular issue is probably caused by a bigger stressor. Brooder temperature, diet, or improper hydration may be the cause.

Chicks that have been shipped through the mail are also more prone to pasty butt. They are often under a lot of stress and may be dehydrated as well. Shipped chicks often have re-occurring pasty butt issues for a few days.

Chicks from a draggy hatch (got left in the incubator too long after hatching) may also have more issues with pasty butt. Draggy hatch chicks may be dehydrated which can lead to pasting.

How to Prevent Pasty Butt

Thankfully, pasty butt is pretty easy to prevent by just taking precautions against the factors that cause pasty butt. Here are some ways to prevent pasty butt in your brood:

Preventing Pasty Butt-

• Correct Brooder Temp.– Make sure the brooder temperature stays right for your chicks. You can base the temperature off of a thermometer, but also watch their behavior for a more accurate temperature evaluation.
• Limit Stress– Try to limit any situations that might stress the chicks out. Overhandling, loud noises, sudden temperature fluctuations, and drafts in the brooder can all cause stress.
• Go Easy on the Sugar Water– Young chicks usually only need a sip or two of sugar water to give them energy and calories. They don’t need to be supplied with sugar water on a daily basis.
• Room Temperature Water- Make sure the water you provide for your chicks is room temperature or slightly warmer.
• Soy-free Feed– Give your chicks a chick starter feed that is soy-free. Too many soybeans in the diet can lead to excessive pasting.
• Scratch Grains– For chicks who are 24-48 hours old, you can give them a small pinch of chick size scratch grains (chopped or crushed grains) to promote firm droppings. The chicks are still receiving essential nutrition from the yolk sac they absorbed so the scratch grains shouldn’t mess with their diet.
• Natural Supplements- Certain natural supplements can help prevent pasty butt. Offering your chicks crushed whole oats or scrambled eggs can help keep the chicks’ droppings firm.

It is generally recommended to give your chicks chick grit whenever feeding them foods that are different from a chick starter grower feed. I recommend having free-choice chick grit available for your brood whenever giving them supplements or treats. Even if the chicks choose not to eat very much of the grit, at least it is available for them. A clump of grass/weeds/herbs with dirt still stuck to the roots functions as a great source of chick grit and entertainment for young chicks!

Pasty Butt 101

Knowing how to treat pasty butt in young chicks is essential for keeping a healthy brood. However, knowing how to recognize and prevent factors that cause pasty butt is just as important. By now you should have a complete understanding of what causes pasty butt in young chicks, how to prevent pasty butt, how to recognize both minor and severe cases of pasty butt, and how to treat any pasty butt issues in your brood. It’s gross, but an essential part of filling in for a mama hen!

Have any questions about raising a healthy homestead brood? Feel free to join our modern pioneer newsletter or reach out to us at any time with questions! We love helping other homesteaders raise chicks naturally and sustainably!

by Alexa