How do I get chicken poop out of laundry?

[Arkady]

Hey, everybody. I’m not really sure where else to post this question. I have a sweet non-ambulatory hen that was brought to a wildlife rescue I volunteer at and I agreed to bring her home and care for her since I have a small flock. We think she had splay-leg and never received treatment; she was full-grown when I got her. I keep Lolo in a large cage in our kitchen and she has as good a life as I can give her. I use large, soft chenille rugs on the bottom of her cage that I change out daily, plus a soft, stuffed fleece pad for her to sleep on. The problem I’m having is that the poop does not want to wash out of the rugs. I hose them off before I put them in the washer and most of it rinses off, but there is always some that is hard and almost crumbly that will not fully come off. I soak everything in water for hours before I wash it and use Tide detergent and OxyClean in warm water, heavy cycle. Does anyone have any tips about something I can use to get this stuff to dissolve? I tried scraping with a knife but ended up pulling some of the fibers out of the rug.

My other question is due to the fact that she laid her first egg a few months ago, and another one a month later. I’m a little worried about her developing complications related to her inability to walk. She can scramble around the cage pretty well, but she is leaned over to one side a bit. Has anyone ever cared for a chicken like this before? Anything in particular I should watch for? Note on the pictures - I now use rugs that are big enough so I can

use just one to cover the bottom of the cage.

 

[DobieLover]

Hello and very belated welcome to BYC!
Poor thing!
Has she been seen by a vet?
Chicken poop is like concrete.

 

[cluckmecoop7]

Hello, and welcome! I'm sorry but I don't have any tips for you.

 

[RebelEgger]

Hello from Nova Scotia and welcome to BYC! You’ve joined a great and resourceful community! Enjoy your journey!
I don’t have any tips for you, sorry

 

[deidreg]

I recommend puppy training pads over the cloth and padding. It's a losing battle. If she's non ambulatory, I assume she doesn't scratch. That means she won't easily shred the pads.

What a beautiful egg! I hope some others can provide additional advice. You're doing a lovely thing in caring for her.

 

[sourland]

A belated welcome to BYC. Disposable puppy training pads sounds like a good idea.

 

[EmmaRainboe]

Belated welcome to BYC! So glad you decided to introduce yourself!

Unfortunatly I don't have any tips. I think sourland has a good idea with the puppy training pads.

 

[416bigbore]

Hello and welcome to BYC, You found an Awesome poultry Forum to be a part of with many great knowledgeable members who are more then willing to jump in and help you with any questions you may have.

 

[RobertaD1]

You should construct some kind of walker or wheelchair if she has the ability to scoot
https://www.google.com/search?q=wal...69i57j0i333.4894j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8
Some looked downright easy to do if you can find your way around the home depot

As for the poo.... try the puppy pads. See if that helps!

 

[Ginmary]

I have a disabled house chicken. I have many area rugs covering the only rug we have in our family room. The area rugs are both tight pile and one shag type. I am baffled that your washer doesn't handle the rug you use. Often we are away for a few days and there is definitely "cement" poop pieces on the area rugs. I throw them in the wash and they come out like new. (I run the washer on "sanitize" afterwards) We just took all six rugs to the laundromat (to do them all at once in the jumbo machine) If I had seen this post beforehand I would have taken pictures before and after. Also, to get the cement ones off, if the washer won't do it, get a tight very strong wire brush and go at it before washing. The kind they use on grills, short fibers.