Muddy chicken + cold temps

[Ema]

I just let my hens out into the run it is 25F outside today and its snowing a bit. I noticed one of my hens has a lot of mud on her bottom just below her vent. It is definitely too cold to wash her up with water, I picked her up to see if I could gently pull out some of the muddy clumps but its real wet so it was just making a bigger mess. Any ideas on how to clean her up. no one else has that issue just her.

they ate all the grass in their run and because of large predators I can't let them free range into the nice frozen green fields, which is a shame. I am waiting on a sand delivery for the run but that won't be here till the middle of next week. Any ideas would be appreciated.

thanks,

Ema

 

[birdsNbeesNseeds]

Just some quick thoughts:

1) Take the chicken inside and bathe her in warm water and blow dry before placing back outside.

2) Let the mud dry and gently brush the mud with a soft bristled brush while holding the chicken. The chicken will probably preen out the remaining dirt.

3) Wait till warmer spring temps to bathe outside or the chicken dances in the rain.

I hope this helps or someone else comes up with some other ideas.

 

[Ema]

lol..spring warm temps...got another 8 months before that happens lol....I was unable to catch her after I let her go, she knew I was going to pick her up again and turn her over so everytime I got near she ran...lol...

so I decided that tomorrow I will go pick up a few bags of sand put it in the kiddy pool and let her clean herself. I saw her today trying to mud bathe

so since she is in so much need for sand I figure a couple bags will do until the sand arrives next week.