Poo-balls on butt

[MCArt20]

My bared rock has always seemed to have a poopy butt, way more so than the other chickens, but my chickens do co- exist with our dogs when they free range our entire yard, once a day right now as there are more shady spots that way in the heat of the day. The dogs (one especially) has been known to eat chicken poop, and has been following Rocky ( the poo ball bared) as the poo ball got larger. I thought they would dry up and fall off but they got bigger- like golf ball size- 3 of them. So, I decided they should come off, and I put her in a bath to soak. She liked it. I was pretty surprised she fell asleep in the bath. So the poo balls soaked off before long, but is there anything that might prevent it? Food? It gets pretty gross, and then we seem to have a lot of those shiney green back flies around ....

 

[Poultrybreeder]

You could trim her bottom feathers, make sure not to cut the skin though, that is how I prevent it after treatment

 

[azygous]

It's a very good thing you noticed this chicken has a problem with stuck poop under the vent, especially since you have flies. The risk is flies laying eggs in the vent or around the feather shafts and then a day later, hatching into maggots which eat their way into the skin. (See the "Topic of the Week - Fly Strike" on the Emergencies Forum.)

A number of things can cause poop that wants to stick to feathers. One is that chicken has a tendency to produce soft poop and isn't good at shooting it beyond the butt feathers. Not much can be done about that other than frequent cleaning.

Another reason is poor gut flora. You can give probiotics or feed fermented feed and it might help.

Worms can cause this messy butt condition. Worming is something you can try.

If the poop has a "cement" quality to it, sticking stubbornly to the feathers, whitish in appearance, it could be a yeast infection. Yogurt can help, or in severe cases, an anti-yeast medication is called for.

So when the dog starts showing interest in that chicken again, you'll know you need to get out the wash tub.

 

[ChickNanny13]

FF is always my answer for messy butts, along with ACV in the water. Cleared up the messy butts on some Wyandotte hens I got. Trimmed feathers when I first got them and it cleared up after a while.