Meet the Crazy Coop! July 12 & 19 at the Willow Falls Market in Lehi from 9-12.
Nuggie the Orpington - aka "the golden nugget"
Pasty Butt Sadness
When we decided to get a backyard flock again, we knew we needed an Orpington! Our previous two--Goldie and Twinkie--were sweet, entertaining, and the fluffiest bums of the flock. Enter The Golden Chicken Nugget, fondly known as Nuggie.
As a day old chicks, she was as friendly and sweet as expected. She loved to snuggle with her mixed clutch and was always the first to run to any hand to be held.
Unfortunately, she also ended up with dried poo buildup on her fluffy backside, and after gently removing it multiple times (and pooping on me twice after her bath), I started to suspect a problem....
Research, Research, Solutions!
True to my obsessive personality, I started digging into causes and treatments of "pasty butt," and discovered that although it is common with chicks, it can also become deadly if it goes untreated for too long.
Pasty butt is typically caused by worms or a major imbalance in a chicken's digestive system. And in case you're wondering, yes, your backyard flock is prone to worms, too. It's totally normal, but more important, completely treatable! I tried a few products and instantly started to see improvement with all of the chicks--10 at the time. Within a couple of days, Nuggie's sticky poo cleared up and I'm happy to report that she hasn't had any problems since! So now she's a happy Golden Nugget.
Breaking Stereotypes
Our Nuggie is not only the namesake for our Maintenance Mix, but she's become one of the flock lead hens! Definitely not something we expected from an Orpington, but she is far more assertive and bold than her predicessors, and at number 3 in the pecking order, defies the odds of the stereotypical Orpington breed. She's also our rooster's favorite to tease, and Nuggie is patient--until she's not. (It's extremely entertaining!)
So be like Nuggie. Take your vitamins daily and good, healthy poops with a fortified immune system! Then you, too, can be a happy, healthy critter who shines like gold. ;)