Help! my Ethel has a cakey butt and not sure how to bath her☹️

[JesCelina]

Good mornin...my hen has white dried poop on her hind end and I have not bathed her befor. I'm afraid she won't take to me trying to give her a bath as she will figure out that I don't know what I'm doing is there a certain way to hold her or what is the easiest way to fix this? I'm worried and I don't want to hurt her! Please,any direction and help will be so appreciated

 

[extrememainer]

My one chicken has the same thing I think that you should take a wet towel with some soap and try and take the poo off do not pull it off because you could pull her feathers good luck!

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Hi @JesCelina

Do you have a fairly deep dish pan/tub that you can use? Fill it halfway with warm water, add a little dish soap (like Original Dawn). Put her in the tub standing up and work the soapy water through the vent feathers. If there are any that have hard balls of poop (dingle berries) you can either cut those carefully out with a sharp pair of scissors or try crushing them up with a pair of pliers. Just wash her like you would anything.

 

[extrememainer]

I think I'll do that too!

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I think I'll do that too!

It's fairly easy is you have an agreeable hen I have a few that don't mind at all.
I have had to wash a flighty pullet - she stood under the perches and someone pooped on her ( she's white too) She wouldn't stand in the tub, but would stand beside it - so...I improvised, I would hold her, dunk, then let her stand beside it and splash water on her to get her clean, of course, I got as wet as she did

 

[JesCelina]

Hi @JesCelina

Do you have a fairly deep dish pan/tub that you can use? Fill it halfway with warm water, add a little dish soap (like Original Dawn). Put her in the tub standing up and work the soapy water through the vent feathers. If there are any that have hard balls of poop (dingle berries) you can either cut those carefully out with a sharp pair of scissors or try crushing them up with a pair of pliers. Just wash her like you would anything.

Oh thank you Wyorp!!! I was thinking about bringing her in the house tub I will use what you suggested Thank you

 

[JesCelina]

I think I'll do that too!

Good luck

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Oh thank you Wyorp!!! I was thinking about bringing her in the house tub I will use what you suggested Thank you

YVW If you can use your house tub, that would be o.k. I don't bring them in...you would need to scrub and sanitize your tub since you are working with a poopy bottom. I find having a dedicated dish pan for my chickens works for me - I can bleach it time and I leave it outside.

Also, if you don't mind...post some photos of her poopy butt, could be she is just a lazy pooper, but you may have something else going on like Vent Gleet.

Keep us posted.

 

[JesCelina]

Hi Wyorp!! I just got done bathing Ethel and she did GREAT I decided to use a deep plastic container and filled it up to her belly with warm Dawn soap. Here are the after pics. I wish I would have thought to take before pics. Tell me what you think

 

[Abriana]

Next time you can just clip away the poopy feathers