Sick Baby- How do you clean her -in PAIN?

[BabyGirls]

Please help, anyone out there! One of my girls has had severe "Abnormal" bowls for about a month now. I was giving all of them scratch in one feeder and layer in another thinking it would help them in the colder months. I've learned that it is bad to do that and have stopped for over 2 weeks now but it hasn't helped her.

She now has it so dried and clumped up that she is barely walking. How do you clean that off without sending her into a fit of fear and not hurting her? It is very dried and clumped and my heart aches to see her not able to really move around. Also she is not very easily handled ever so it will be tough catching her. I don't want to traumatize her anymore than she already is. PLEASE HELP!!

 

[Katy]

Other than catching her and having someone else hold her while you trim it off I don't know.

 

[CarriBrown]

You've GOT to catch her and clean it. No choice in the matter, here, because she can get clogged up. It's going to be a two person job. Catch her and bring her inside and to the sink. One person needs to hold her over the sink (hold her wings to her body so she doesn't flap) while the other washes her butt (I use latex gloves, obviously) with soap and warm water. Use sissors to cut off any feathers that are too caked to clean, but make sure you don't cut the pin feathers.
If it's cold out, keep her inside until she dries off or use a blow dryer on the low heat setting to dry her butt off.

 

[BabyGirls]

What are PIN FEATHERS? How do I know what I can cut?

 

[jjthink]

My goodness - that's one heck of a lot of poo if she's having trouble walking. Poor baby.

Hmmmm....do you know - .is she blocked at all or just dirty from dried poo on her but still able to go to the bathroom okay?

The problem sounds larger than just the effect of 50/50 scratch/layer tho of course we don't know if she was eating it in that ratio. Anyway, to the problem at hand...

Since she's fearful/skittish this isn't going to be easy but I don't think you have a choice. If catching her is very difficult (that is, you anticipate lots of stress with her running all over creation) you may be better off waiting till she's sleepy in the evening. You'll likely have to bring her inside where it's warm (taking care not to let her get away from you when you're carrying her to the house because she may make sudden jerky movements in transit) and in a dimly lit room (to help calm her) put her in a sink on a mat or something where she can get her footing and gently with a washcloth bathe that crappola off of her with warm water. Don't get her any more wet than necessary to gety the job done. If the stuff comes off without the use of water, that's even better but I'm not sure it will.....

If a hair dryer on a low setting would freak her out, gently dry her some with a soft absorbent towel when you feel she's relieved of most of the poo.

When you are done, she will be pretty wet from the sounds of it, so she should probably stay indoors in a very quiet, dark and warm room inside a comfortable sized pet carrier or cage with plenty of straw or wood shavings (whatever she's used to).

If you have a dog sized carrier there will be enough room for food and water to be at one side and her bedding on the other. When she gets up at the crack of dawn she can busy herself eating and drinking.

If you have Rescue Remedy homepathic in a spray mist form, spray the bathing area before you bring her indoors.

In addition to this exterior cleaning, she may need help with her digestive system if she is passing very dried or overly wet stools - not sure what the situation is. Maybe you can provide more info on that.

Good luck - just be calm and reassuring with her - she will forgive you. I know it's stressful with the high anxiety ones - such a worry that they will get way too stressed. But in this case, the conditions don't leave you a choice but to intervene, so in a way, that's good. If she has a favorite treat - a bit of cut up fruit or veggies or sunflower seeds- you can offer her some during and/or after the bath. It'll make you feel better at minimum!
JJ

 

[CarriBrown]

Quote:
A pin feather is a feather that is developing- It can have a supply of blood going to it. You can usually see them because they sometimes will have red in them. It looks like a needle because the feather is still in the white shaft (the bird preens that off when the feather is developed).

 

[ChickMomma]

I had the same thing happen to one of my EE hens. I brought her in at dusk (I also kept the lighting down in the house) and tried the warm water / wash it out that several people have suggested. It was too caked on for that to work so I started cutting and I would only take a little bit off with each snip of the scissors. When I was done there were only 1/4 inch nubs left in a row down her bum. After that she has lost all of the nubs in that row and has not regrown any feathers. It is kinda like a reverse mohawk on her rear. Anyway I kept her inside in a box for the night and she was good to go the next day. Some girls just have too much fluff down there!
Susanne

 

[sammi]

as above...best time to catch her is after roost when she's sleepy..use a towel to wrap her so she doesn't flap her wings.
this is less stressful then chasing her..
in any case, this must be taken care of.

snip off the tips of the feathers, removing as much matter as you can, using a tissue or paper towel to rub more off..
make sure the vent is clear.
bathe only if necessary, and she should be completely dry before returning to outside.

please describe the droppings..color and consistency.
what all do you feed?
has she been wormed?
if so, when? and what was used?
is she eating as usual?
does she have any other symptoms, or any change in behavior?

 

[BabyGirls]

Well, I brought her in just before she went to sleep and used the kitchen sick for her "Spa treatments". The vent is clear but she had so much of it there that was hardened and almost rock solid. I used the spray hose at the sink as my husband held her. She wasn't happy but calmed down. I dried her with low cool setting on my hairdryer but she was damp when I took her back out-she started to really fuss halfway through her drying and I just felt so bad.

The great news is we cleaned her up really well. I felt terrible but had to really work on the dried stuff and hope I didn't hurt her. I am hoping she had a good night. Looking forward to seeing how she is this morning.

On diet, I feed them scratch and everyday I let them out about an hour before dark to run around. They get treats everyday (birdseed and black sunflower seeds-which they all just love) She doesn't get that much of it as she has been having trouble walking. I have feed them yogurt 2x month as they a couple had the "bowel issues" . I have not wormed them but think there is really a problem as she and 1 other of my bigger girls have had bowel issues for almost 2 months. SORRY FOR DESPRIPTION: they are very runny and white (little green) and haven't been solid at all.

Any suggestions for treating them is greatly appreciated! I can't find a doctor here at all and worry about them.

 

[jdypat]

i had this same problem last summer with a buff hen named goldie.. i took her from the roost and sprayed her down good with the hose pipe.. when i got her cleaned up i turned the water down to a small stream and gave her an enema with it.. she felt so much better and never had that problem again. good luck.
oh do you use that kitchen sink for cooking dinner?