- May 3, 2014
- 204
- 17
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My Gingerbeast has turned out the loveliest most docile friendly hen in the whole world. a million miles from the scared little creature I brought home from the rescue centre not 6 months ago. At first I didn't expect her to last a week she was in such a mess, but she's thrived and she's the fluffiest largest bird I have. BUT she spent her whole early life being picked and pecked in battery conditions, not a feather on her poor lice ridden body, just sores and puny white skin. I layered her with suncream, sudocrem and TCP, Washed and bathed her and helped her to thrive and grow almost all of them back save two bare patches either side of her butt that are covered normally but I know they are still bare and healing. She's been back on forth to the vet and the practice love her to bits as she hops about the desks like a budgie looking for a clap and a cuddle, never flapping or pecking and making the cutest wee chirps of happiness. She's been treated for everything and checked for all possible problems and is completely disease, gleet, cocidiosis, worm, e-coli, campilobacter, mite and parasite free. (she's had stool samples re-checked twice recently and various courses of drugs when I first got her too) The Local kids love her and carry her round everywhere and she never complains so long as she gets a worm at the end of the day. She's my star egger too.
The one problem I have with her is that she has no concept of personal hygiene, yeah she watched the other birds and learned to some extent and does preen her chest feathers and takes a lie down in the dust bath, but she never cleans her butt. She always has mud on her face and over her comb, mud on her belly and the most hideous stinky claggy dried up poo deposit all stuck in the feathers under her vent. Often she is wet as well. I have to bathe her weekly and try to break off the worst of the clag and rub her with baby nappy rash cream and dry her off in a towel. I think she actually enjoys this though it must hurt and it's getting too cold to let her go outside to dry free range with winter coming in.
I'm really at a loss as to what to do with her, is it something she might eventually pick up? should I get her feathers clipped off down there or is it just a case of rolling up my sleeves on a Friday and plunging her in the kitchen sink every week?
The gingerbeast then and now:
The one problem I have with her is that she has no concept of personal hygiene, yeah she watched the other birds and learned to some extent and does preen her chest feathers and takes a lie down in the dust bath, but she never cleans her butt. She always has mud on her face and over her comb, mud on her belly and the most hideous stinky claggy dried up poo deposit all stuck in the feathers under her vent. Often she is wet as well. I have to bathe her weekly and try to break off the worst of the clag and rub her with baby nappy rash cream and dry her off in a towel. I think she actually enjoys this though it must hurt and it's getting too cold to let her go outside to dry free range with winter coming in.
I'm really at a loss as to what to do with her, is it something she might eventually pick up? should I get her feathers clipped off down there or is it just a case of rolling up my sleeves on a Friday and plunging her in the kitchen sink every week?
The gingerbeast then and now:
