Does anyone know what could be causing this and what I can possibly do?

[Michyme]

Does anyone know what could be causing this? When I went down to feed my chickens I noticed one of my girls had a lot of poo on her feathers near her hiney and it smells. I looked and known of the other chickens had this problem. What could it be and what can I do?

Thanks in advance,
Micelle

 

[Eggcessive]

Clean the poo off as good as you can (bring inside for a day to dry if bathing, and just do the vent area.) Trim excess fluff from the vent where it was sticking. This happens in some hens due to there shape, extra fluff, winter weather causing freezing of poo and diarrhea. Think about worming if not done recently. Provide probiotics or a small amount of plain yogurt if feed does not contain them. I have one hen who has a mass under her vent who constantly has this problem. The poo can irritate the skin, and you can pull it off with gloves if it is dried out.