Poop stuck all over back feathers

[mcdaid36]

Went down to the coop this morning to check on the chickens, and noticed two of them had poop covering their back end. It reminded me of when they were baby chicks and the poop would always get stuck on them and I'd have to wash it off to keep their vents open. It's pretty much the same thing except the poop is not closing up their vents this time, just making a great big mess. Should I bring them up to the house and try and clean them off? It's below freezing outside right now, so I'm hesitant to get them wet. Also, what could be the cause of this all of the sudden and how can I keep it from happening again?
-Nancy

 

[thecochincoop]

What breed are they? Cochins are very bad for this as they have very fluffy butts. Does it appear that they are sick or does the poop look normal? I think that it is normal for the fluffy ones to have some poop on them but if it is a lot then you may be looking at a sickness.

 

[speckledhen]

My Barred Rocks are bad for that, for some reason. I call them "poop rocks" because the clumps are just like rocks stuck to the fluff. You just have to do a poopectomy, LOL!

 

[mcdaid36]

Thanks! They are silver laced wyandottes (sp?). They do have very fluffy butts but this has never been a problem before. I can't tell which poop is theirs ... only two have this problem right now, out of 21.

 

[Bandana]

What are they roosting on? If they are roosting on a large, flat surface, they may be sitting in poo.

 

[mcdaid36]

They roost on the widest side of a 2 x 4, with the corners rounded off. I don't think they're sitting in anything.

 

[Sissy]

Sounds like they are sitting
in their poo, bring them into the house have an empty
large box ready.
and soak them in the bathroom sink
one at a time. it will take a half hour. with a wash cloth wipe them up.
dry them with a hair dryer but on low and at least 4inches away. or you can keep them in the box over
nite. hope this helps
this helped when i had an egg bound hen.