Adult chickens with "pasty butt"??

[backyarder717]

Hi..The last few days our adult chickens have been getting poop all bound up and matted up back there. I have had chickens for almost a year and never had this happen to adult birds. A few questions:

1. Is that normal for adult birds to get this?

2. What causes this? Prevention?

3. The first one was so bad I couldnt get it out. I had to cut away some feathers around the rear end to get it all out. Now this chicken has a bald spot there. This that bad or wrong to do??

4. Could some type of worms cause this? How would I know if that have worms?

Thanks,

 

[hollyhillfarm]

My sweet little trio of bantam auracana always had problems with pasty butt. I tried everything including molassas.
When I switched to a good organic food the problem went away forever and they all look beautiful!

 

[speckledhen]

Adults do not get actual pasty butt. If they do, something is terribly, terribly wrong. Pasty butt is where the vent is actually blocked with poop so no more poop can come out. What you're talking about is probably just poop sticking in the butt fluff. Some of my hens have what I call "velcro fluff" and are prone to it, some are not. Seems the larger breeder type Orps are more prone, my RIR is prone and a couple of the BRs. Why some have the issue and some don't is a mystery to me.

 

[ktdahlen]

Nasty, Thanks, i wouldn't have thought of that. I am going to try the fluff trim rather than the bath as it's cold here, and I don't know if a hot dip would be bad after the fact. Don't see her sitting for a blow dry after the fact either. She is rather spunky!

Thanks for the advice

 

[lagalag]

Adults do not get actual pasty butt. If they do, something is terribly, terribly wrong. Pasty butt is where the vent is actually blocked with poop so no more poop can come out. What you're talking about is probably just poop sticking in the butt fluff. Some of my hens have what I call "velcro fluff" and are prone to it, some are not. Seems the larger breeder type Orps are more prone, my RIR is prone and a couple of the BRs. Why some have the issue and some don't is a mystery to me.

I just spent about 20 minutes in my tub (gross) cleaning my 6-year old Buff Orp's backside. Hardened poo. Prior to cleaning, I observed an add posture, almost like she was constipated. I picked her up and noticed the crud. Cleaned her up and blew dry her behind. She's as good as new. First time occurrence.

 

[teach1rusl]

No, that was fine. I have one bird who is prone to getting globbed up back there, and I've done the same thing...cut away as much as possible, and trimmed quite of bit of fuzz back there to help prevent it from happening again (although of course it will). Obviously, it comes with loose poop that gets stuck to feathers back there, hardens, and then the next loose poop will stick to THAT...the snowball effect. But I've also noticed that THAT hen doesn't really squat when she poops, so I think not doing so contributes too...watch yours; I'll bet she doesn't squat much when she does her business. Because when they squat, they tend to angle their butts downward, and the vent/butt area feathers separate so kind of stay clear. But when they poop just standing there, it kind of runs down throught the fuzz. I do check mine about once a week...just a quick parting of the feather to check for globs and parasites...

 

[chickmommar]

I have a buff orpington hen who has had this problem a lot over the last 6-8 months. We've cleaned her, cut feathers, put on diaper rash cream to reduce the inflammation and raw skin that results from the stuck on poop. She has to work hard to poop and I think it's from scar tissue or something. This morning she was looking sick and making very odd noises. I brought her in the house, soaked her in warm water, pulled off the poop, dug in her vent to clean as far in as I could, and cut away feathers to help for a little while. She was finally able to poop - the house reeks now. She has scar tissue/scab all around the opening of the vent so can only open it a little ways - about the size of a nickel maybe. I'm afraid she's trying to lay an egg and that is the reason for the noises. She's my husband's and he is out of town so I want to help her as much as I can until he's home and can make appropriate decisions for her. I feel I need to get any scab off the opening and try to keep it moist with lubricating gel and/or diaper rash cream or maybe even bag balm. What do you think? All the other chickens are fine. Muffy has had the poopy butt problem for a while but hasn't been laying so I think it hasn't been a crisis until now. I think she's about 4, although I don't recall exactly. If anyone else has had the problem with the stiff vent opening and found a solution or tried things that didn't work, I'd appreciate the information. Thanks for any thoughts.

 

[ktdahlen]

So, my question is, does it hurt anything to just leave the poop on my chicken's butt fluff? I figure they don't go bathing chickens on a farm. Wondering if eventually she will clean it off herself. This hen has laid some unusually large eggs, and poops giant poops. Sort of wondering if she isn't damaged from all of that. Though she seems totally healthy otherwise.

 

[ten chicks]

So, my question is, does it hurt anything to just leave the poop on my chicken's butt fluff? I figure they don't go bathing chickens on a farm. Wondering if eventually she will clean it off herself. This hen has laid some unusually large eggs, and poops giant poops. Sort of wondering if she isn't damaged from all of that. Though she seems totally healthy otherwise.

Clean poop off her otherwise it will become irritating to her skin and attract flies.

 

[Gizmo33]

Same I'm having that problem too. Like I have 8 chicks one had a glob and I had to cut it and now it's bald and wet cause I used warm water. Any advice?