Cockerel with Pasty Butt??

[KWestVA]

I have an eight-month-old cockerel who has a lot of excrement stuck to his butt feathers. He certainly doesn't have any problem producing poop, so I'm not sure if that actually qualifies as pasty butt. I've never noticed this issue before, so I think it's related to the nasty weather we've had for the last couple of days: my entire yard is literally frozen over, and I've never been successful at getting my chickens to use an artificial dust bath since they left the brooder, so I think he just hasn't been able to attend to his personal hygiene. Additionally, he has a habit of occasionally sleeping on the ground, although he also perches and doesn't seem to be unwell in any other sense.

I tried to clean him up with damp paper towels, but I didn't make much progress and was afraid of hurting him. Should I just wait until he can get back to dust-bathing, or should I try another method for cleaning him up?

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Do you have photos?

What do you feed?

He's sleeping on the ground at night? Is he the only cockerel/rooster and is there enough roosting space or is he being kept from roosting by the rest of the flock?

Sleeping on the ground, he's more likely to have poop collect on the vent feathers, so try to encourage roosting. Check him over to make sure his feet are in good shape, that he has no issues like swelling, bumblefoot, etc., that may be deterring him from roosting.
It's worth looking for lice/mites while you are at it.

If the poop is in hard clumps on the feathers, then crushing them up can help remove them. I use a pair of pliers to crush up hard clumps (carefully). Some folks trim out clumps.

I have an eight-month-old cockerel who has a lot of excrement stuck to his butt feathers. He certainly doesn't have any problem producing poop, so I'm not sure if that actually qualifies as pasty butt. I've never noticed this issue before, so I think it's related to the nasty weather we've had for the last couple of days: my entire yard is literally frozen over, and I've never been successful at getting my chickens to use an artificial dust bath since they left the brooder, so I think he just hasn't been able to attend to his personal hygiene. Additionally, he has a habit of occasionally sleeping on the ground, although he also perches and doesn't seem to be unwell in any other sense.

I tried to clean him up with damp paper towels, but I didn't make much progress and was afraid of hurting him. Should I just wait until he can get back to dust-bathing, or should I try another method for cleaning him up?

 

[KWestVA]

Do you have photos?

What do you feed?

He's sleeping on the ground at night? Is he the only cockerel/rooster and is there enough roosting space or is he being kept from roosting by the rest of the flock?

Sleeping on the ground, he's more likely to have poop collect on the vent feathers, so try to encourage roosting. Check him over to make sure his feet are in good shape, that he has no issues like swelling, bumblefoot, etc., that may be deterring him from roosting.
It's worth looking for lice/mites while you are at it.

If the poop is in hard clumps on the feathers, then crushing them up can help remove them. I use a pair of pliers to crush up hard clumps (carefully). Some folks trim out clumps.

I don't have a photo at present, but I can try to get one tomorrow.

I feed Manna Pro All Flock Crumbles, grit, a sprinkle of Manna Pro Harvest Delight and freeze-dried mealworms, and grapes or blueberries.

He usually roosts at night, and every chicken has its own cage and perch in my inclement weather setup. He just sometimes sits on the floor, so maybe it's just an idiosyncrasy.

I had the same thought about trimming - I have a dog who's prone to matting - but it terrifies me with the chickens (I am a newbie). I've read about blood feathers and that damage to them can be serious; how do I recognize and avoid them? Should I just use scissors? Are there such things as chicken groomers??

 

[KWestVA]

I don't have a photo at present, but I can try to get one tomorrow.

I feed Manna Pro All Flock Crumbles, grit, a sprinkle of Manna Pro Harvest Delight and freeze-dried mealworms, and grapes or blueberries.

He usually roosts at night, and every chicken has its own cage and perch in my inclement weather setup. He just sometimes sits on the floor, so maybe it's just an idiosyncrasy.

I had the same thought about trimming - I have a dog who's prone to matting - but it terrifies me with the chickens (I am a newbie). I've read about blood feathers and that damage to them can be serious; how do I recognize and avoid them? Should I just use scissors? Are there such things as chicken groomers??

Here's the best picture I could take - Nelms is such a ham, he always turns to face the camera for his close-up.

 

[Eggcessive]

Once the pasty area has dried some, you can usually pull a lot of the dried droppings off the vent area. The more they are left, if he poops it will continue to collect and irritate his vent.

 

[KWestVA]

Once the pasty area has dried some, you can usually pull a lot of the dried droppings off the vent area. The more they are left, if he poops it will continue to collect and irritate his vent.

I tried that last night - and Nelms was very cooperative and docile - but I was really afraid of hurting him. So just to confirm, I should not try to use water to moisten the area? I understand that getting a chick wet can be dangerous, but I wasn't sure about older chickens.

 

[Eggcessive]

In cold weather, soaking can be harsh. If you could bring him inside where it is warm, you could try a warm soak just to his vent area rubbing with a bit of Dawn. Then you can dry him well in a towel and blow dry him. Of course, roosters can be a bit hard to handle.

 

[KWestVA]

In cold weather, soaking can be harsh. If you could bring him inside where it is warm, you could try a warm soak just to his vent area rubbing with a bit of Dawn. Then you can dry him well in a towel and blow dry him. Of course, roosters can be a bit hard to handle.

Fortunately, Nelms is a big sweetheart; I'm honestly shocked he let me try to clean him up the first (unsuccessful) time. I'm going to try some Olay foaming moisturizing cloths to ensure a positive spa experience . . . although I'm not sure the blow-dryer would go over well. The chickens freaked out over the stick vac yesterday.

 

[Shadrach]

This is going to be bit gross...
I use bare hands for this so I can feel whats going on and have my fingernails available. There's a technique to shite rolling but that is what I've found works. Find a clump, doesn't matter if it's dry or wet and roll the clump between the thumb and forefinger. Lots should crumble away so if you're doing it on your lap a towel or similar underneath is a good idea.
The harder lumps (some set like concrete) I crack with my finger nails. I think I've resorted to a small pair of pliers a couple of times. Keep rolling as they say.

If it's mostly wet (it makes the job even more unpleasant) then medical gauze swabs are handy for getting the worst off; back to rolling after that. Use the swabs dry, they pick up moisture anyway.

Around the vent most have tolerated cleaning fairly well. Further down under the back of the belly, most complain. I think having even small feathers pulled out the hurts, so more roll and brush around there.

I've never managed to clean a bad case without hurting the chicken enough for them to protest. Careful use of round nose surgical scissors or similar can be used to trim the underbelly and in this area, because it gets rubbed into the soil during bathing, dust bathing will help to clear the rest.

A couple of things that may be worth bearing in mind; fruit (it takes five large blueberries to give Sylph the runs and where I lived before when the figs ripened and dropped it was like a hot curry night out and some green vegetation has given a lot of chickens I've known the runs. Like us apparently chickens need fiber in their diet. Some makes of commercial feed are better than others in this respect. Whole wheat and grains provide a good percentage of fiber, peas as well which he might eat. He'll probably eat oats, another option.

If he ranges (not confined to a coop and run of any size) then there isn't much one can do about controlling his diet. Confining him to a coop and small temporary run (it doesn't have to be big, just a square metre or so) for a couple of days might show you if it's what he's eating when ranging.

 

[KWestVA]

This is going to be bit gross...
I use bare hands for this so I can feel whats going on and have my fingernails available. There's a technique to shite rolling but that is what I've found works. Find a clump, doesn't matter if it's dry or wet and roll the clump between the thumb and forefinger. Lots should crumble away so if you're doing it on your lap a towel or similar underneath is a good idea.
The harder lumps (some set like concrete) I crack with my finger nails. I think I've resorted to a small pair of pliers a couple of times. Keep rolling as they say.

If it's mostly wet (it makes the job even more unpleasant) then medical gauze swabs are handy for getting the worst off; back to rolling after that. Use the swabs dry, they pick up moisture anyway.

Around the vent most have tolerated cleaning fairly well. Further down under the back of the belly, most complain. I think having even small feathers pulled out the hurts, so more roll and brush around there.

I've never managed to clean a bad case without hurting the chicken enough for them to protest. Careful use of round nose surgical scissors or similar can be used to trim the underbelly and in this area, because it gets rubbed into the soil during bathing, dust bathing will help to clear the rest.

A couple of things that may be worth bearing in mind; fruit (it takes five large blueberries to give Sylph the runs and where I lived before when the figs ripened and dropped it was like a hot curry night out and some green vegetation has given a lot of chickens I've known the runs. Like us apparently chickens need fiber in their diet. Some makes of commercial feed are better than others in this respect. Whole wheat and grains provide a good percentage of fiber, peas as well which he might eat. He'll probably eat oats, another option.

If he ranges (not confined to a coop and run of any size) then there isn't much one can do about controlling his diet. Confining him to a coop and small temporary run (it doesn't have to be big, just a square metre or so) for a couple of days might show you if it's what he's eating when ranging.

Oh, I take full responsibility for spoiling all of my animals terribly. I'm glad you mentioned blueberries: I've been giving them twice a day because my faux-omnivore chickens won't eat any other fruit or veg besides blueberries and black grapes (not green or red, only black). That being said, I haven't given them berries since they've been inside (due to the weather) because they make a huge mess, so that narrows down the foods/treats that might be problematic. I give them a small amount of birdseed and/or Manna Pro Harvest Delight twice a day, but I don't think I've tried oats yet.