Smelly Chickens

[Val3rie]

So... around Christmas, I had these 8 chickens bestowed upon me. We built them a coop and a run, and then a tunnel to a bigger run. They have plenty of space, I clean out their coop weekly, they dont dump their water, and I recently started teaching them chicken tricks. I noticed the two best trick learners (the ones least afraid of me) stink. It's an odd smell. I checked them all over for anything, expecting to find an infected wound (they had been badly pecked) or some stinking abcess, and found nothing. I was going to make them a dust bath, in case that's what they need to manage themselves, but I'm not sure how big it should be or what to put in it. I read DE, but 100% DE, or should I mix it with sand, like children's play sand... should it have a roof? Maybe it's what I'm feeding them, they get layer pellets and scratch and occasional oatmeal that they do tend to douse themselves with when they dive into it.... Any ideas? it's a very odd, distinctive smell.
thanks

 

[cmom]

I just sprinkle Food Grade DE in the litter in their coops, in their runs and where ever they dust themselves. I have no stink or pest problems.

 

[dave_Cash69]

chickens are always going to have their own smell about them
but DE should do the trick, yes.

 

[SuperCoco]

I just can't beleive that your chickens just started smelling like that! It's weird.

 

[Catalina]

Is the smell coming from their beak/mouth area?

If so it could be sour crop.
This needs to be treated ASAP. Use the search function and search for sour crop - there are a lot of simple remedies.

 

[Val3rie]

I'll have to see if it's the mouth, I'll check today. They smelled better yesterday, I'm thinking they had oatmeal on their feathers

 

[lilchick]

Some people love the smell of their animals! I think my horses smell good...Every time that smell takes me back to childhood days.....

I even like the smell of my chickens when I hold them and they cuddle up under my chin..
Yes I admit it! I am wierd

Oh come on aren't there others out there who do too?

Sorry Val3rie did not mean to steal your thread!
Animals have their own distinct smell. Sometimes worse when they get wet or dirty....

If they do not appear to be sick then it might be their normal smell....

 

[speckledhen]

Mine smell just fine...unless someone has pooped on them, like from above. Smell on the breath can be sour crop, something they ate, or if they are having snotty discharges, Coryza, a highly infectious disease.

 

[BellLisamo]

what if they smell like pee? Can you wash them? Someone suggested 7 dust??

Stinky pee birdies right now

FYI i just got these new chickens yesterday, so i didnt make them stinky!

 

[WalkingWolf]

Almost all birds have a distinct odor. It is more apparent on some than others. I happen to like the smell of my pionus, but a cockatoo smells differently. When it rains or is about to rain the chicken smell gets stronger. Same with the dogs. I like the smell of horses too actually any smell of outdoors except manure.

If a couple chickens smell more than others they may have just molted or are molting. The sluff from the feathers or feather dust travels up your nostrils this causes some problems with some people. Clean sand to bath in will probably improve the smell, and remove some of the sluff. I keep a large kitty pan with sand for them to bath in, instead of soil that they may have pooped on.