Poo Butt

[Liadan]

One of my hens, a Light Brahma, has ALWAYS had poo butt. I had to clean her vent repeatedly as a chick and now that she is 7 mo old she STILL always has some poo butt issues. Until recently I hadn't thought it was that bad, as I hadn't really given her a close inspection but last week I gave all my birds a good looking over and realized she had quite the mess. Tonight I clipped a large wad off her bum.

My 6 girls are my first so Im not sure how typical this issue is what, if anything, I should be doing about it.

Lucy is a sweet girl but I have had a feeling for a long while that she will probably be the first cull. I didn't expect her to survive to laying if I am being perfectly honest. After I put the flock out in the coop from the brooder she had to come back in for a night to get warmed back up. She is a bit of a runt. The smallest of all my birds (and bottom of the totem pole), while my other Brahma is the absolute largest by a good margin. Wyandottes and a Barred Rock make up the rest of the flock for reference.

 

[Chloe+chickens=LOVE]

I think some chickens Will always have poo butts sadly. I would see if she lays any eggs before you decide if you want to cull her.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Some are just messed than others. Sometimes they grow out of it and sometimes they don't.

 

[Liadan]

I am pretty sure she is laying. I don't plan to make any culls this first year, but I can see her being the first to go down the road as the flock grows, if natural selection doesn't take care of this for me. It's not a decision I am going to rush, more just a gut feeling than anything. As it is obvious right now that she is the weakest link.

 

[ChickNanny13]

Where are you located? Could it be too warm? Have you tried adding ACV with Mother into their water (1T/gal)? Have you tried fermenting their feed?

Then again I've had "fluffy" butts with messy butts cause of all the fluff. As oldhenlikesdogs stated some are just that way. I like my fluffy butts, never had issues until I had 5 Blue Wyandottes, no matter what they got messy butts. I clipped butt feathers which helped but then they weren't so puffy.

 

[Eggcessive]

In every flock of any size, there will be 1 or 2 birds with poopy butts. Usually it is because of occasional loose poops that get stuck on feathers, and it may build up. I would trim any excess feathers, and pick off any lumps. This time of year flies can be bad to lay maggot larve on poopy butts, and cause fly strike (maggot infestation.) So once a week I would clean her off. Probiotics in the diet may help. Some feeds have them, or you can use a tsp of plain yogurt (brand names have more live cultures,) or you can buy one online for chickens.

 

[Liadan]

I am in central Iowa and it has been rather warm. Winter seemed to run long and then we jumped right into mid to high 90's.

I haven't added anything to their water or fermented their feed. They are free range 90% of the time, tho I have been keeping them cooped up more lately just to get them trained to lay in the boxes rather than wherever they choose in the barn. We actually just lost 3 eggs today because we were moving hay and didn't realize one of the hens had a nest on the top of the stack. At least I know where my missing eggs were...

She seems to be eating fine and otherwise acting normally. Really I see no other red flags other than the poo butt issue.

 

[ChickNanny13]

2x Eggcessive

 

[Eggcessive]

Probios dispersible powder and other probiotic supplements are sold at feed stores and online. Many hens will go into the coop to lay in the mornings, and you can keep them put up until noon, and then let them out to hopefully get them to lay in the coop. There may be a few stragglers or late layers. I had one hen who would wait me out every day, and I would watch her sneak off across the busy road to our corn crib to lay her egg. As long as I knew where it was, I could find her eggs.

 

[ChirpyChicks1]

My 5 year old Lucy has always had a dirty butt. She’s got too much fluff in the trunk