Pasty Bottom In Your Flock What It Is & Possible Causes
Pasty bottom also called pasty vent, pasty butt, or pasting is digestive upset within your flock so severe that the chicken faces potential medical issues as a result of droppings caked around their vent and vent feathers. A chicken’s vent is where droppings are excreted from their body. Additionally, the vent is also where the eggs pass from inside of the chicken and out onto their nesting material. If your chicken has extreme digestive upset, droppings can soil your eggs as well as threaten the health of your chicken. Pasting can become so severe your chicken is unable to pass their droppings and eggs resulting in a serious life-threatening infection.
What is Pasty Bottom?
Pasty bottom is a symptom as a result of another health condition not the condition itself. Like digestive upset in humans, pasty bottom in chickens and young chicks has many potential causes. Here are a few, but not all possible causes of pasty bottom:
Digestive upset: The most minor cause and most easily treated. Often the result of too many treats or a diet too rich in protein. Providing a poultry safe pro biotic packet and reducing or removing treats from your chicken’s diet and relying on a complete layer feed or other appropriate complete poultry feed should remedy the condition within a few days. A small portion (a table spoon) of Plain Greek yogurt with honey mixed with an equally small portion of layer feed is another holistic option to help restore your chicken’s natural gut biome and normal digestion. Digestive upset can also be the result of: stress, which can be caused by extreme temperatures, dehydration, predator pressure, loud noises, interruptions to their laying cycle, frequent flock changes or trauma, or an otherwise unstable environment. Some individual flock members and breeds may be more predisposed to having a sensitive digestion cycle than others. This is most common in young chicks and elderly flock members. Pasty bottom is most deadly to young chicks as it often obstructs their vent entirely preventing them from passing waste, causing death. This is common as a result of the trauma of shipping or unsuitable conditions like an uncontrolled brooder temperature, insufficient or inappropriate diet, or poor sanitation.
Vent Gleet: This is a swelling of your chickens’ cloaca which can result in pasty bottom.
Parasitic infection: A parasite infection can cause the symptom of pasty bottom. Parasitic infections can range from mild to serious from a simple worm infection (worms are often present in soil and droppings) to a more serious life-threatening infection like coccidiosis. Coccidiosis is accompanied by additional symptoms including blood in the droppings. Both worms and coccidiosis can be treated with over-the-counter remedies available at farm box stores and online pet and livestock pharmacies. In both cases sanitation and deep cleaning will be required in addition to the medication treatment regimen which will be outlined on the packaging of the product you choose. Follow all of the instructions carefully and consult a livestock veterinarian if needed.
Treating pasty bottom.
To treat pasty bottom your chicken will likely require a luke warm Epsom salt bath with a soft mild all-natural soap like Castille soap. If your flock isn’t hand tame, you will likely need assistance handling your chicken. Prepare a bath for your chicken. Use a bucket or tub large enough to submerge your chicken up their chest level covering their vent. You will need to remain with your chicken during the entire process to prevent injury and accidental drowning. Add a tablespoon of Castille soap and Epson salt to your chicken bath. Gently and carefully place your chicken in the bath. Allow your chicken to soak in the luke warm water for several minutes. You can use disposable plastic gloves to cover your hands if you wish. Using your fingers gently clean your chicken’s vent area and remove any stuck droppings from their vent area and feathers. Once your chicken is entirely clean, remove them from the bath. Towel dry your chicken. It’s important to apply a topical poultry safe disinfectant around their vent area like Hen Healer or Vetericyn.
Reduce or eliminate treats for several days and feed your chicken a complete layer feed in addition to a poultry safe pro biotic packet. If the symptom of pasty bottom returns, you can move on to exploring anti-parasite measures or other possible disease or environmental causes. Consider all of the symptoms your flock is experiencing and note whether the pasty bottom is flock wide or isolated to one flock member.
*Disclaimer. Any and all content and information shared is for entertainment, educational, and enrichment purposes only. This content is not intended to be a substitute for qualified professional assistance or services of any kind. I am not officially associated with any of the poultry care products mentioned here. *
I hope this has been a helpful explanation of pasty bottom in your backyard flock and possible treatment option you can explore. If you liked this post, be sure to check out Chuck’s other social media for backyard chicken and homesteading content.
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