The Chicken “Pasty Butt” Dilemma

Ahhh Spring... the time of year when the weather warms, landscape greens, and many babies are born!

Which is naturally why my utility room smells a bit like a barn right now!

Mama has really been developing a growing love for her chickens and this year we have both chicks we hatched and store bought babies in by our washing machine.

One evening a problem was brought to our attention by one of our youngsters that significant amounts of feces was stuck to our little chicks bottoms.

Now, I know what your thinking, and that’s “who wouldn’t want to deal with a congealed mass of slightly rotting chicken poo?!”

Mama and I came to investigate and each of us had our instincts kick in and shall I describe the scenario as one of us went to google and one referred to his farm boy instincts...

My wife ran back into the house and I heard the exclamation, “I found all kinds of YouTube videos!”

A bit of clamoring around the house rummaging through cupboards and she was back by my side, breathing somewhat heavily, in the chicken brooder barn/area where I raise children, explaining how we need to start with warm water and gently massaging the chickens hind end which covered in hard poop, slowly working Vaseline into the putrid turd area until it can be gently removed... which apparently can take a significant amount of time.

I stared blankly into her chicken loving deeply concerned eyes for a moment and thought about whether or not she was about ready to dig her pretty little fingers that also prepare my food into the nastiness I had just looked at for a “significant amount of time”.

Then slowly, I broke the news to her... “I used that little kids shovel in the corner to scrape the poop of their butts... reckon I need to wash my hands before I come in?”

Days later chicks are alive and poop free.

Final score 
Farm boy instincts: 1
YouTube videos: 0

Disclaimer: To be fair, my wife had no intention of spending her life massaging poopie chicken bottoms but certainly wanted me to know that was an option if I wanted to go down that path!

Thank you kindly,

Glade