Bathing hens

[bhawk-23]

I need to bathe a chicken who chronically has poopy butt. She is healthy outside of this. I would love to trim her feathers but scared to hurt her. Is there a certain spot to cut or some feathers that should not be cut?

Also, what should the minimum temperature be outside in order to bathe and only towel dry outside? Would 70 degrees Fahrenheit and warmer be sufficient? I can do it on a sunny day.

Thanks so much!

 

[BigBlueHen53]

I need to bathe a chicken who chronically has poopy butt. She is healthy outside of this. I would love to trim her feathers but scared to hurt her. Is there a certain spot to cut or some feathers that should not be cut?

Also, what should the minimum temperature be outside in order to bathe and only towel dry outside? Would 70 degrees Fahrenheit and warmer be sufficient? I can do it on a sunny day.

Thanks so much!

If you think it's too cool go ahead and use a blow dryer on low and keep it moving quickly from side to side so it doesn't get too hot on one spot. Blow till she's fluffy. I should think you could use a little drop of Dawn dish soap, they use it on ducks after an oil spill so it should be safe, just be sure to rinse thoroughly. As for cutting feathers, I just trim the ends of the fluffy, downy feathers around and below the vent that catch the poop and get sticky. Don't cut close to the body and you should be okay. Be very careful right around the vent.