chicks with diarrhea/pasty bottoms

So I took in some EE/mutt chicks on Sunday that were given from a friend. They are now 4 or 5 days old. They are my 3rd set of chicks and my first to have pasty bottoms (approx. 5 out of 12), hence diarrhea. The batch I hatched out 3 weeks ago never had this. They're not screaming and seem to be sleeping just outside the ring of the heat lamp, so don't seem to be chilled. I've had them on Poulvite from day one.

Any suggestions what might be going on and how to alleviate it?

Did the pasty bums come with the chicks or after you got them? If it came with them then I would start first with the food, what were they eating at your friends and was it free choice.
Next I would check temperature, they are comfortable now but at your friends were they cold or too hot?
My biggest issue with pasty bums was poor water, I had a terrible time with it last year, poor chicks, sticky bums, diareha, figured out our water was to blame, we now haul water for the birds and no more problems.

It also wouldn't hurt to put a tbsp of apple cider vinegar (per gallon)in the water. This should help the diarrhea.
If there is a hard clump of poo, you have to remove that as well, you probably know that.

Good luck with your chickies

One chick had a pasty bum when it arrived - had to wet it to get it off and blow dry it. They were pretty fresh from the bator when they arrived and don't think they had any food at that point.Yesterday there were at least 5 pasties. We've had our water tested and even though it is untreated, it passes very well, just being a little hard. It is possible they were affected by temperature, chilled in transport (which was 2 or 3 hours) and then I may have not had it warm enough for them as I changed up the brooder when I added them to the older chicks and not sure if it held the heat as well with an open side. Anything I can do about the temp now? It seems okay now.

Re: ACV. I do give that to my birds - after 4 days and then ongoing and was literally going to switch over tomorrow from Poulvite to ACV for the babies so hopefully that will turn things around.

I was told by an older gentlemen and I think it works is to feed them cornmeal.

Cornmeal for little chicks or older birds with diarrhea?

for the little chicks. I feed it every couple of days and they love it.

Ooh, I have no doubt they'd love it as a treat but if you think it could help the d....., I'll try it along with the apple cider vinegar.

Thanks everyone.

its sometimes blamed on cold drinking water so I give mine room temp water now

I agree with the cornmeal, I feed chicks redriver cereal mixed with very fine chick grit early on along with their starter.
Kind of pricey but just don't tell anyone it is for the birds...lol

Miry, I kept reading 'redriver' as re-driver. LOL. I got it. Red River, yes! Thanks for the confirmation on the cornmeal. I've been doing the Apple Cider Vinegar and a little cornmeal and it is definitely helping a lot.

If the chicks have pasty butt now, there is a good chance they were chilled before you got them. ALl you can do is pick off butt glue and make sure they are neither to hot nor too cold.

Careful with the Poulvite. I find it goes 'off' quite quickly and can leave a slimy scum in the waterer. When I use it, it is never for more than a couple days and I under mix it since I think it causes problems if overmixed.

Runny, foamy, liquidy poop is common in chicks and should not be considered diarhea. I do not feed anything special when I see this poo since it is normal. I don't feed my chicks for the first day after hatch. I find introducing food too soon can cause problems, although I set water out right away. Clear water, no Poulvite unless they look gimpy. Good luck, most chicks survive pasty butt as long as they can poo and don't get stoppered up.

I feed medicated starter and one teaspoon ACV in a L of water fresh 2 times aday will try the corn meal but have never had pasty bums.

Hmmm, I didn't clarify if they were fresh from the egg the day I got them but possibly. May have been they were fed too soon. They're doing much better now. Bottoms all looked good when I checked them yesterday.

Thanks for the info on your experience with the Poulvite as well Uno. Wasn't aware of any of that.

Appreciate all your input.

uno wrote:If the chicks have pasty butt now, there is a good chance they were chilled before you got them. ALl you can do is pick off butt glue and make sure they are neither to hot nor too cold.

Careful with the Poulvite. I find it goes 'off' quite quickly and can leave a slimy scum in the waterer. When I use it, it is never for more than a couple days and I under mix it since I think it causes problems if overmixed.

Runny, foamy, liquidy poop is common in chicks and should not be considered diarhea. I do not feed anything special when I see this poo since it is normal. I don't feed my chicks for the first day after hatch. I find introducing food too soon can cause problems, although I set water out right away. Clear water, no Poulvite unless they look gimpy. Good luck, most chicks survive pasty butt as long as they can poo and don't get stoppered up.