Dirty rear ends

[teach1rusl]

My only chick who had poop issues (not quite pasty butt...but clingy, clumpy poop that could eventually have blocked the vent) grew up to be my only HEN who STILL ends up with dried poop around her butt area.

When she was a chick, we "cured" the problem by trimming away the fuzz. Tomorrow DH and I are doing the same thing to her adult fluff below her vent area.

 

[SheilaTheBrave]

We just got our hens Sat and the oldest ladies (2 light Brahmans) seem to have seriously dirty backsides. I thought this was normal, but now I'm not so sure. Seems smelly and yuck. We're seeing some loose feathers about (she seems to be picking them out!). Also some runny poo, but I looked that up and thought was I saw was normal.

She layed 2 eggs her first 2 days, but nothing since then. Any tips on what's going on? We may try the apple cider vinegar and the yogurt tips - thanks for those. (We also have 4 smaller ladies - 2 cinnamon queen and 2 production red in the mix if that makes a difference - they're not yet laying though, still teenagers...)

 

[purelypoultry]

Be aware of possible mite issues also associated with dirty vent areas.

 

[azygous]

After you rule out or correct conditions that cause loose poop, sometimes butts can become crusty normally due to eating certain types of food such as squash.

Every week or so, I set up a couple of small wash tubs with warm water and children's bubble bath soak. I get a firm hold of the candidate who is in need of a tune-up with the head under my arm. I back her up to the wash basin, with her butt hanging over the edge. With my free hand I splash the sudsy water onto the crusty area until it softens. Then I use my fingers or a wash cloth to pull off the accumulation.

The best thing about using this children's bubble bath soak, no-tear's formula, is it requires no rinsing. I use a towel to dry the area, or if it's a cold day, I blow dry the butt. They really enjoy that! Even the roosters! It's not necessary to immerse the entire chicken, either.

This method works well for dirty feathered feet, too.

 

[3chimama]

Every once in a while I have to give a good trim and bath too....

 

[Judy]

A lot of people trim the fluff off really fluffy-bottomed chickens like Orps for this reason.

 

[ChickenBrik]

Azygous, THANK YOU!

I have a yucky butt new hen that has leg mites as well. I have been doing to Vaseline trick to her legs but also hear a good foot bath helps. I figured I would kill two birds with one stone (pun intended!) and bath her. But I have been stressing out on how to manage getting a hen into soapy water, scrubbing her, and than rinsing. You saved me a step and gave me a fabulous idea.

I welcome more bathing tips for yucky butts!

ChickenBrik

 

[BoltonChicken]

Cleaning eggs is a chore that kind of comes with the territory. Did some commercial egg stuff when I was a teenager and much money was
invested in an egg washing machine that received considerable use. Eggs don't always come out nice and shiney, but it is really good to
know stuff like the ACV and yogert treatment.

 

[featherbaby]

I have Silkies....dirty butts are a common occurrence here. I fill a dish washing tub with warm water mixed with a tiny bit of baby shampoo. I set them in the water (feet and butt only) and find that they fight less if they've got their feet on something solid. Then I use a short bristled nail brush to "comb" out the solids from the feathers. It works wonderfully! I used to use my fingers, but this is SO much easier and cleaner. Later I soak the whole brush in 50% bleach solution to sanitize.

In my limited experience I believe certain chickens are more prone to dirty, stained vent feathers than others. Some of mine are always clean. Some of mine are always dirty. One hen in particular (of course she had to be white) has permanently coffee colored stained vent feathers. I have observed that some of the chickens are good at "projectile pooping" and some are just "dribblers". About 20 % of my flock of 25 are "dribblers" and my best solution is to trim them....even though I hate to mess up their beautiful puffy butts.

 

[schellie69]

I also use the yogurt mixed with dry cat food. They love it and it seems to help, I have trimmed fluffy butts also. But usually the yogurt and cat food do the trick and putting ACV with mother in the water helps.