Poultry pampering?

[Beccazon]

Their beaks van get overgrown and interfere with eating. It happens sometimes, especially with chickens kept in runs and don't have access to things they can "file" down their beaks. Like this:
View attachment 1876771
(Photo from this thread: https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/very-overgrown-beak.1106795/ )

Oh my! Ok makes sense! Ty

 

[MROO]

So you just use plain vaseline? and just make sure to get the exposed skin? (legs and comb) I'm new to chickens, so I need to keep this in mind for the winter!

Yup, plain old over-the-counter petroleum jelly. The common brand name is Vaseline, but generic is fine. Try not to get it on their feathers, as it's really hard for them to glean off and it compromises the "fluff factor," aka - the keep-me-warm feather blanket!

 

[MROO]

I wondered about that. In the winter, far less issue with that. But I will be bummed if I have filthy sticky chickens so I truly hope I never have mites to deal with!

Like @Aunt Angus says - it can get messy. Just use a bit, no glopping necessary. Otherwise, it makes a real mess ... and I think any of us who have used Vaseline have made that mistake at least once! Eeeew!

 

[MROO]

I'm told that Castor Oil works, too, but I haven't tried it yet. Hopefully, I won't have to. Once is quite enough, "thank you very much!"

 

[MROO]

Lmao I surely will photo document it. She is a poof of feather to be sure. And yup...snow white. Which is why it is particularly evident that she is a regular recipient of Pride's affections haha.

I can do a less "Herman" style bath since truly I just want the shmutz off her back. It was a rather damp morning after a storm and humid all day so the earth below them stayed quite moist allllll day. Poor Freckles had no chance of remaining clean. I figured she would have "worn off" the evidence in the last week but...I thought wrong. Lol

My other Brahma is queen bee so she tells Pride to take a hike most of the time and in so doing, has remained...white. The rest are RIRs and a BSL/Black Asian thing. Lucky gals.

A quick splash down should do. Then trying to keep her clean til dry might be interesting. Is it permissible to bathe at roost time and return her to preen then when she is away from dirt etc and closed in the coop with the flock? Or should she be fully dry first? We are Michigan. 85F average daytime right now. Nights drop to anywhere between 50 and 70 depending on Mother Nature's bipolar attitude lol.

I don't think I'd do her at night, unless the temps are going to be higher and her back is really the only damp part of her. They actually dry pretty quickly in the sun.

 

[MROO]

Oh the swaddler is a fantastic idea!! One person chicken maintenance made easier! I will have to make a similar lil thing! Thx!

And yes, beaks! Now I have heard about doing that. But...I don't quite understand why. I would think that would make eating, at least for a chicken, very difficult. Or is it done just for those that have issues like an overbite type of thing? (Is overbite a term in chickenology)??

It's not the trimming that makes it hard for a chicken to eat, it's the overgrown beak tip. Picking up food would be like trying to pick up a coin when your fingertips don't meet.

I don't think most chickens need beak trimming as long as they have access to soil or sand for scratching and pecking. I have one coop/run combo that is up off the ground, so those biddies don't get the benefit of scratching in dirt to wear down their beak tips. Several of those need their "overbites" (and yes, the term fits!) trimmed. I usually do it with our guillotine clippers, then turn them out to free-range (with supervision ... we have hawks) for an hour or so. That generally takes care of any rough edges. I do the same thing with extra long or sharp spurs. A little spur-dulling goes a long way towards saving a hen's back!

 

[jolenesdad]

Whew - A muddy Brahma is a BIG dirtball! Mine, except for Herman and the two Kindergarten Dropouts, are all under two pounds. None really get full baths more than once or twice a year, a day or two before a show.

You need three tubs of water (Rubbermaid type bins work well) and a small bucket - The first tub is warmish soapy water - usually Dawn or a mild livestock soap we use for the show calves. The second two are cooler, clean rinse water. The middle one will sometimes have a bit of vinegar in it to cut any soap residue remaining.

We usually tag team it - one person holds and gently rubs in (and out) the soap, the other scoops water and runs interference for potential escapees. We don't do a heavy-duty "wash behind your ears" sort of bath, it's more just to get out the loose dirt and encourage them to thoroughly preen, which straightens out and oils every feather, not just their usual spot-grooming. Herman is the exception. He's fluffy enough (and dirty enough) that he actually gets "swished" back and forth to make sure he's thoroughly wet.

After the bath, we wrap the "bathee" in a towel. Show birds will get a quick blow dry (on cool) just to make sure all the feathers are laying in the right direction. Herman gets a full blow dry. Holy Cow, he's poofy, then ... and he's a true Sulking Silkie for the rest of the afternoon!

I don't know how that system will adapt for your Brahma, but it works for our midgets, so that's how we do it. We've got the advantage of having smaller birds who are all used to (if not particularly happy about) getting baths. And luckily, I have NO white chickens!

PS - If you DO decide to bathe your mudpuppy, take some pictures. It's liable to be very entertaining ... for everyone but your hen!

I forget where I read it, but I bought one of those baby swaddler things and cut off the bottom flap. I wrap a chicken up in that sucker and trim nails, inspect feet, what have you. I wish I could remember who it was who recommended that, but it's been a lifesaver!
View attachment 1876683

And I regularly have to bathe my white Cochin. She gets DIRTY! And she's such a beautiful chicken when she's clean. I recently treated for scaly mites, and the oil caused tons of dirt to stick to her leg and foot feathers. It was gross! I had to bathe her. My fluffy white chicken had turned a dark muddy brown!

And my Brahma's toenails grow kind of weird. The toenail on her outer-most toe curls outward and sometimes makes it hard for her to roost comfortably. I use one of those Amope things. Love it! I can use it for beaks, too, but I haven't had to do that.

Bookmarked both of these posts! Such good info, thank you!

 

[Beccazon]

It's not the trimming that makes it hard for a chicken to eat, it's the overgrown beak tip. Picking up food would be like trying to pick up a coin when your fingertips don't meet.

I don't think most chickens need beak trimming as long as they have access to soil or sand for scratching and pecking. I have one coop/run combo that is up off the ground, so those biddies don't get the benefit of scratching in dirt to wear down their beak tips. Several of those need their "overbites" (and yes, the term fits!) trimmed. I usually do it with our guillotine clippers, then turn them out to free-range (with supervision ... we have hawks) for an hour or so. That generally takes care of any rough edges. I do the same thing with extra long or sharp spurs. A little spur-dulling goes a long way towards saving a hen's back!

Ok now I'm starting to feel kinda ignorant. I would usually Google or otherwise research these questions but since we are here...and it's hopefully useful to others as well...

Spurs surely have a cuticle as well. Is there a way to tell or just trim sparingly? As you would overgrown nails or dog claws and allow the cuticle to recede...

 

[MROO]

Ok now I'm starting to feel kinda ignorant. I would usually Google or otherwise research these questions but since we are here...and it's hopefully useful to others as well...

Spurs surely have a cuticle as well. Is there a way to tell or just trim sparingly? As you would overgrown nails or dog claws and allow the cuticle to recede...

My boys (and a few of my girls) have small, but sharp spurs. I just dull down the ends, rounding them down to get the point off. Some people remove the entire spur case, using a "hot, baked potato?" Apparently, it softens the outer casing so that it comes off when the potato is removed. Once the casing comes off, the spurs are very tender and vulnerable to injury until they harden up again, which can take some time. It doesn't sound real to me, but my "old folks" swear that's how they did it. Weird, huh?

 

[Wolfefarmyard]

Bathing is normally for show birds or especially dirty bird