Posted by BC Breeder on 7/13/2006, 12:58 pm, in reply to "Pasty butts rumpless chicks" First, think of the dirty bottoms as a symptom of the chick getting a cold. It's not really a cold, but the analogy works for me. More stable temps with adaquite food and water can reduce the incidence of pastey bottoms. As can adding a little garlic and cayenne to their water to give their immune a boost. Some chicks will out grow it and others will eventually succumb to it. However, the most effective way to resolve the problem long term is to breed against the trait. Mark every chick that has a pastey bottom and remove it from the breeding program. Cull it, make it a pet, layer or meat bird, it doesn't matter, so long as it's prevented from ever becoming a breeder. I will usually give each chick a second chance by removing the first poo-ball but if it returns, the chick is a cull. Within a couple generations of strict selection, the problem should mostly go away. It did for me anyway. We may have gotten a pastey bottom early in the season, but I can't recall any occurance, off the top of my head. It should also be noted that I don't practice rump trimming to boost fertility. This may also play a role as I believe the practice can lead to weaker rump muscles. If birds remain fertile without vent trimming, they have strong enough rump muscles to move the feathers out of the way during copulation. It stands to reason they would also have rump muscles strong enough to move feathers out of the way during defecation. A little selective breeding discipline can make the breed more enjoyable and rewarding for all of us in the future.
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This is a common flaw of the araucana, contributing to it's poor reputation, IMO. However, it is avoidable. I feel it is associated with weaker rump muscles.
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