Most first-week problems are small and fixable if you spot them early. Check your chicks a few times a day.
Pasty butt
Droppings dry over the vent and block it. Hold the chick's rear under warm (not hot) running water or a warm damp cloth until the clump softens, ease it off gently, then pat dry and return the chick to the heat. Don't pull dried clumps off — you can tear the skin. It's often linked to stress or the brooder being too hot or cold.
Splayed (spraddle) legs
Legs slide out to the sides and the chick can't stand. It's usually caused by a slippery floor. Switch to shavings or paper towels for grip, and a small hobble made from a bandage strip looped around both legs at chick-hip width usually corrects it in a few days.
Pecking
Bored or crowded chicks peck each other, and red spots draw more pecking. Give them more room, add a perch or a clump of grass to explore, and separate any chick with an open wound until it heals.
When to call for help
Bloody droppings, a chick standing hunched and fluffed with eyes closed, or chicks that stop eating can point to coccidiosis or other illness. Call us or your vet promptly — chicks go downhill fast. Medicated chick starter helps prevent coccidiosis in many flocks; ask us whether it's right for yours.