Suggestions on how I 'bathe'/clean a disabled chicken please

[Alycea]

Hello all

I have taken on a disabled chicken. Long story short, she has an internal growth, golf ball size. Not an egg bound egg, not a tumour. It occurred 2 years ago (March), went away and came back (again in March) and has gone down, but not gone away. 2 Vets have no idea. Antibiotics did nothing. Only suggestion is it might be an allergy. Cutting out foods over time resulted in nothing, but the swelling did go down. Whether this is from food or just time, we don't know.

Anyway, the swollen area is between her legs, particularly off to one side, sort of under the right leg. She can't really walk as she can't get the leg passed the bulge. The leg is now stick backwards. She can shuffle in a back and forth motion that moves her in circles to get about. And she is surprisingly speedy when she wants to be.

Overall she is happy. Lots of purring, feathers in good state, comb a tad pale/pink. She is very cuddle, vocal, eats loads. She has lost most of the feathers under her right leg, where the swelling is, as the use of that leg rubs the feathers off.

First and foremost question is about bathing. She is not able dust bath herself. I would like to assist her in some way, but have no idea what is best. Washing her, particularly underneath with water or helping her to dust bathe in some way. If you have successfully bathed a chicken and can recommend what works, and they like, please do let me know.

Second, if anyone has ever had anything like this happen to a chicken, I would love to hear if their chicken got better, or if there is something you recommend we do.

PS. We don't know what type of breed she is. She is all black, small to medium size.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Hello all

I have taken on a disabled chicken. Long story short, she has an internal growth, golf ball size. Not an egg bound egg, not a tumour. It occurred 2 years ago (March), went away and came back (again in March) and has gone down, but not gone away. 2 Vets have no idea. Antibiotics did nothing. Only suggestion is it might be an allergy. Cutting out foods over time resulted in nothing, but the swelling did go down. Whether this is from food or just time, we don't know.

Anyway, the swollen area is between her legs, particularly off to one side, sort of under the right leg. She can't really walk as she can't get the leg passed the bulge. The leg is now stick backwards. She can shuffle in a back and forth motion that moves her in circles to get about. And she is surprisingly speedy when she wants to be.

Overall she is happy. Lots of purring, feathers in good state, comb a tad pale/pink. She is very cuddle, vocal, eats loads. She has lost most of the feathers under her right leg, where the swelling is, as the use of that leg rubs the feathers off.

First and foremost question is about bathing. She is not able dust bath herself. I would like to assist her in some way, but have no idea what is best. Washing her, particularly underneath with water or helping her to dust bathe in some way. If you have successfully bathed a chicken and can recommend what works, and they like, please do let me know.

Second, if anyone has ever had anything like this happen to a chicken, I would love to hear if their chicken got better, or if there is something you recommend we do.

PS. We don't know what type of breed she is. She is all black, small to medium size.

I'm sorry about your hen.

Do you have any photos you would like to share?
When was the last time she laid an egg?

It sounds like she could have some reproductive problems - internal laying, Salpingitis, cancer, tumors - these can be common in laying hens and cause swelling between the legs, difficulty walking and weight loss among other things. A lot of times the cause of swellings/conditions and illness are not known until the chicken passes and a necropsy is performed.
https://poultrykeeper.com/reproductive-system-problems/


If she has soiled feathers, give her a soak in a warm bath, you can use a mild soap like baby shampoo to help clean her up. For tough accumulation of poop, sometimes you may need to trim those out of the feathers or you can use a pair of pliers to break up hard balls of poop.

If she is not dust bathing regularly, it would be a good idea to treat her periodically with a Permethrin based poultry spray or dust to prevent external parasite infestations. A sick/unwell bird that is not taking care of themselves is prone to those.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

You can find Permethrin based poultry sprays or dusts at most feed stores like Tractor Supply or online.

 

[staceyj]

Your girl needs a spa day!

You’ll need a stack of towels and a chair pulled up to the sink. Once they experience it, most Chickens love to soak in a small tub of warm water especially if it has Epsom salt in it. Then you can drain that water away and bathe her if you wish.
Or you can skip straight to business.

When bringing her to the sink, hold her with her wings close to her body and do the same when you put her in the water. When I am soaking a chicken I usually keep one hand resting on her back it seems to keep them from flapping and soaking the entire kitchen!

Bonus points if you have a kitchen sprayer! Especially for the back end. If not, a soapy washcloth will do .

I have bathed my chickens many times. Plain water, Gentle soap, or even simple dishwashing liquid gets them clean.

Wrap in towels afterwards to absorb most of the water.

It amazes me that chicken feathers are like mega sponges.

Then a good half hour or more with the blow dryer on a gently setting.

While she’s wet could you have someone help you take pictures of this growth? Seeing is everything.

There are so many people here who may be able to help you diagnose your issue or make helpful suggestions.

There might also be people who suggest you euthanize her. I’m just preparing you for that.

 

[Alycea]

Thank you for the suggestions. I am based in France, so many products people suggest I can't get here (funny enough, Epsom salts being one of them), or I can't get them shipped here, e.g. the chemicals in them are not allowed. But I will see what I can find.

We keep her pretty clean in general. Once we found her in the initial condition we had lots of poo coated feathers to trim away. It was quite the task. Since then, as there aren't too many feathers around her vent any more she is easier to check on and clean. I will try her with baths and see how that goes. She loves attention above all else, so we shall treat it as time together and hopefully she will enjoy it.

It's possible it could be a reproductive issue, but why it came and went away again and came back again is what is confusing. She is happy and cheerful and perky other than this issue. (So, we would not consider putting her down if anyone suggests it. Only if we ever thought she was in constant pain with no cure would we consider it, which she is not.) She hadn't laid an egg for quite a while, then when we moved (mid-May) she laid an egg almost the next day. And nothing since.

The lack of dust bathing is not through not wanting to. She does enjoy laying in dust. She just doesn't have the mobility to move herself about to dust. I wasn't sure if I shouldn't try and help her whilst she is in the dust.

 

[staceyj]

Epsom salt is just magnesium sulfate.
Looks like large grain salt.
Often comes in a bag or pouch.
Magnesium is excellent for swelling and inflammation. Does wonders in a bath for humans too.

Sel d’Epsom
Ask at a pharmacy or market in the bath soap aisle.
Even some garden centers sell it as is is a natural mineral and plant food.

 

[Alycea]

Epsom salt is just magnesium sulfate.
Looks like large grain salt.
Often comes in a bag or pouch.
Magnesium is excellent for swelling and inflammation. Does wonders in a bath for humans too.

Sel d’Epsom
Ask at a pharmacy or market in the bath soap aisle.
Even some garden centers sell it as is is a natural mineral and plant food.

Thank you. Magnesium flakes I know I can get here. Yeah.

 

[Chick-N-Fun]

I hope your hen pulls through for you!
Bear hugs to you and your sweet girl!

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Thank you for the suggestions. I am based in France, so many products people suggest I can't get here (funny enough, Epsom salts being one of them), or I can't get them shipped here, e.g. the chemicals in them are not allowed. But I will see what I can find.

We keep her pretty clean in general. Once we found her in the initial condition we had lots of poo coated feathers to trim away. It was quite the task. Since then, as there aren't too many feathers around her vent any more she is easier to check on and clean. I will try her with baths and see how that goes. She loves attention above all else, so we shall treat it as time together and hopefully she will enjoy it.

It's possible it could be a reproductive issue, but why it came and went away again and came back again is what is confusing. She is happy and cheerful and perky other than this issue. (So, we would not consider putting her down if anyone suggests it. Only if we ever thought she was in constant pain with no cure would we consider it, which she is not.) She hadn't laid an egg for quite a while, then when we moved (mid-May) she laid an egg almost the next day. And nothing since.

The lack of dust bathing is not through not wanting to. She does enjoy laying in dust. She just doesn't have the mobility to move herself about to dust. I wasn't sure if I shouldn't try and help her whilst she is in the dust.

She sounds like a happy, well cared for hen

Since you are in France, check with your local pet shop to see what they carry for bird louse, I would think a pet shop carries something for caged pet birds that would work.
I know in the UK a lot of people use Nettex Total Mite Kill, this is for use in poultry so that may be something you can find.

 

[micstrachan]

She sounds adorable. I agree a spa day and bum baths would be nice for her. I also think it would be OK to assist her in a dust bath at another time, when she’s completely dry. Just pick up handfuls of the dirt or whatever she’s bathing in, sprinkle it over her (avoiding her face, of course) and see if she seems to like it.