The chicks ate out of my hand this morning! And I swear they were bigger after just one day. I took a picture of them this evening with my makeshift tent and they were so cute, scratching around in the kitty litter trying to get their food that I sprinkled out there, just to see them scratching around like real chickens. I was shocked because a cockroach crawled into their tray and they attacked it and ate it!
I read about "pasty butt" the other day, and worried that my chicks might have it. Apparently it's seen in young chicks. Droppings stick and clog up their bottom and they literally get so constipated and blocked up they die. Sounds horrible! Here's a picture I found of a chick with pasty butt.
And here is a normal vent in a chick. Fortunately all my babies looked normal!
It can happen if they are stressed - too hot, too cold, eating the wrong food (ie dont' give them anything other than the chick starter food).
I'm wondering if I should start using hemp litter. I've thought about using that for the coop, and I haven't seen much talk about using hemp for chickens. I think I might go out and get some and start using it and write about my experiences with it.
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