First Dirty Butt Cleaning!!

[TheRusticRebel]

My oldest hen, a 5 year old RIR, had started getting a dirty butt about 2 maybe 3 weeks ago. It was just a small streak of white at first. Looking back i should have rinsed it off then. I thought maybe shed clean it herself but no. It got worse. This morning i finally got out there and got her cleaned up. Lots of dry dingle berries. Her skin and vent all looked good. No signs of mites or other bugs. It took about a half our of soaking, and gently trying to work off those poop bulbs. Once it was done i did a blow dry. On low. I put coconut oil around her vent first so it wouldnt get dry. But i noticed her skin below her vent and just at the top of the vent was turning red. Is this just from me tugging and moving the feathers around? I tried my hardest to be gentle. Im hoping i didnt hurt her.

She seems fine and shes fluffy again. And if this happens again i will wash her at the first sign instead of waiting.

Is this just her age? Her flock mates are 4 and they all have fluffy butts. Am i gonna be washing everyones butts in the coming years????

 

[TheRusticRebel]

Oh i should add...she still lays about every other day. Her eggs have a gritty white deposit on them lately. Not uniform over the whole egg and some days is worse than others. But hers always been having this sandy, salt like stuff on them for about a month now.

 

[David61]

I use salt, permethrin and tail and mane shampoo with very warm water. Now, why a poopy but? Clean the coop, feeders, water... Bad moldy food? Add apple cider vinegar to the water. If it is a fungal or mold issue, it will "bloom" again as the spores are not gone. A clean coop and health birds should win out but keep an eye out.

 

[TheRusticRebel]

I used baby shampoo and warm water.

The waterer gets cleaned daily when i fill it. And i use zyfend A every other day as digestive support. Their feeder was just cleaned last week when i filled it with a fresh 50 lb bag of food. Its pretty water tight. Its a no spill design and ive never had issues with food getting wet. None of the other birds are dirty. :/ but i will keep an eye out. Thsnks for your suggestions! I do appreciate it!

 

[My Very First 6 Chickens]

I make a bath of lukewarm water. No need for soaps or cleaners imo. I finish with a nice blowdry on cool. I do this outside so all the hens stand around watching and the hen being bathed seems to relish all the attention! (Better than bathing in the basement wash basin). I have one hen i have bathed about every 3 months due to her stool being more lose than the others. Easy peezy especially in the warmer months. I only wash a butt if the fluff looks wet and droopy. Dry, dusty stool is easy with just my fingers. Good luck, may your flock thrive always!

 

[Baileybunchx5]

I make a bath of lukewarm water. No need for soaps or cleaners imo. I finish with a nice blowdry on cool. I do this outside so all the hens stand around watching and the hen being bathed seems to relish all the attention! (Better than bathing in the basement wash basin). I have one hen i have bathed about every 3 months due to her stool being more lose than the others. Easy peezy especially in the warmer months. I only wash a butt if the fluff looks wet and droopy. Dry, dusty stool is easy with just my fingers. Good luck, may your flock thrive always!

I have one that has a big wet droopy poop on her. It’s cold outside so don’t want to bath outside. I’ve never had to do this to an adult hen any images or suggestions are appreciated

 

[My Very First 6 Chickens]

I have one that has a big wet droopy poop on her. It’s cold outside so don’t want to bath outside. I’ve never had to do this to an adult hen any images or suggestions are appreciated

Hello! First i would be thinking, where can i bath her? Once you have a location, fill the basin. I only want to wet the soiled parts, so not too much water.
Supplies:
* room temp/warm water
* towel
* blow dryer
* extra towel
* favorite treat
* your calm soft voice
My bathed chickens seem to enjoy standing in the bath water which makes it all easier. My basement sink has a sprayer, so i spray the messy butt and use my fingers to keep working out the poop. It does take a little time, so, this is when you use your kind voice to reassure your friend of how well shes doing. Offer a little morsel of treat from your hand. A chicken that feels safe will let you do anything, you just gotta reassure her with your calm voice. If your chicken seems stressed, you could try wrapping her in a towel, put her on your lap and use a very wet cloth to use your fingers to get what you can off. At the end of the day, your goal is really just to make sure all poop and urine stuck to butt is not causing redness or inflammation. My hen prone to yucky butt gets a bath if I notice the poop and urine touching her skin under the fluff too much. Otherwise, i tell the hen to go take a dust bath. Dry, lingering poops get worked off as said hen makes her way up the ramp to roost for the night. I use my fingers to loosen it and it usually breaks and crumbles off as she makes her way. Also, i would never wash a molting hen. Good luck. I think an overall, happy, healthy hen that needs a bath tends to enjoy the extra attention and treat for doing such a good job! Good luck, you got this!

 

[Baileybunchx5]

Hello! First i would be thinking, where can i bath her? Once you have a location, fill the basin. I only want to wet the soiled parts, so not too much water.
Supplies:
* room temp/warm water
* towel
* blow dryer
* extra towel
* favorite treat
* your calm soft voice
My bathed chickens seem to enjoy standing in the bath water which makes it all easier. My basement sink has a sprayer, so i spray the messy butt and use my fingers to keep working out the poop. It does take a little time, so, this is when you use your kind voice to reassure your friend of how well shes doing. Offer a little morsel of treat from your hand. A chicken that feels safe will let you do anything, you just gotta reassure her with your calm voice. If your chicken seems stressed, you could try wrapping her in a towel, put her on your lap and use a very wet cloth to use your fingers to get what you can off. At the end of the day, your goal is really just to make sure all poop and urine stuck to butt is not causing redness or inflammation. My hen prone to yucky butt gets a bath if I notice the poop and urine touching her skin under the fluff too much. Otherwise, i tell the hen to go take a dust bath. Dry, lingering poops get worked off as said hen makes her way up the ramp to roost for the night. I use my fingers to loosen it and it usually breaks and crumbles off as she makes her way. Also, i would never wash a molting hen. Good luck. I think an overall, happy, healthy hen that needs a bath tends to enjoy the extra attention and treat for doing such a good job! Good luck, you got this!

Thank you for your kind response. My husband and I were able to get it off without soaking but I think it was uncomfortable for the hen. But it’s done and I will keep an eye on her to be sure it doesn’t happen again.