Question About Feather Trimming

[NorthernMIFlock]

I have a Barred Rock who is 9 months old and laying regularly. I have recently noticed lots of caked on poop on the fluffy/fuzzy part of her feathers below her vent. Can I just trim that away without worrying about bleeding or problems? This is my first year of owning chickens and I wasn't sure the best way to deal with it. Thx

 

[Wyorp Rock]

View attachment 1698574 View attachment 1698576 I have a Barred Rock who is 9 months old and laying regularly. I have recently noticed lots of caked on poop on the fluffy/fuzzy part of her feathers below her vent. Can I just trim that away without worrying about bleeding or problems? This is my first year of owning chickens and I wasn't sure the best way to deal with it. Thx

You can give her bum a wash up if your weather is warm enough, use a little dish soap or baby shampoo - work it into the dirty feathers and rinse well.
Sometimes poop is hard to get out of the feathers, you can trim them too. I suggest you get the majority of the poop out by crunching it out. For trimming, if this is your first time, I would recommend that you wet those feathers a little - it will make it easier for you to see where the skin is so you don't cut her. Careful not to pull too hard, chicken skin does rip too. If you do trim while dry, please wear a face mask, you will not believe how fine those feathers are, you don't want to breath in all that dust.

Having a dirty bum can be common in birds that have a lot of fluff, but while you are tending to her, look through those feathers and around her vent for lice/mites and feel her abdomen between her legs below the vent for fullness, a "fatty" feeling or fluid. Sometimes hens can have too much of a fat pad or some swelling that makes it hard for the poop to clear the fluff.

 

[NorthernMIFlock]

Thank you for all the helpful info!

 

[dawg53]

Wyorp Rock gave some good advice. I'd like to add that when you trim back feathers and fluff, dont trim back too much. If you do, feces will run down her backside and "burn" the skin turning it red causing irritation and creating an unwanted problem.
During the summer when it's warm, cradle your hen backwards in your forearm and wash the dirty butt off with the garden hose, a strong spray washes it off in seconds. Then release the hen to go about her way. The sunny warm temps will dry her off.

 

[mamamama124]

Same issue here with one of Buff Orps. She's healthy - eating well - drinking well - running around - laying eggs. But always has a poopy butt. I mentioned bathing her and trimming a bit of her fluff down but Husband said it probably wouldn't help because he noticed her poop is just gloopy compared to the other birds. Gloopy poop - fantastic. Any advice on how to firm up her poop? They eat Layena pellets and get to run free in the yard every few days for about an hour - eating grass and weeds. No chemical treatments in the yard. And they're in a chicken tractor that gets moved every few days so they're on 'clean' ground in the run.