Trimming Vent Feathers

[needmorechickens!]

Yay..I trimmed them today. My DH held them for me and it was easy. It was windy and fluff was going everywhere!
~Rebecca

 

[NancyDz]

Can you wax them??? My hen wants a Brazilian

 

[GardenerGal]

Quote:

 

[rebecca10782]

 

[MakNat]

What about just plucking??? Adding a little antibiotic spray?? I know it might hurt a little, but wouldn't it be quicker, cleaner and simplier???

 

[galanie]

What about just plucking???  Adding a little antibiotic spray??  I know it might hurt a little, but wouldn't it be quicker, cleaner and simplier???

I understand that most breeders do pluck them rather than trim. So long as you don't jerk a handful at a time out, just one or two, it doesn't hurt them. Sometimes they do bleed a bit. I did my roo that way but the problem was, they started growing back instantly. So I just let them grow and trimmed once they were grown enough not to have blood in them. Funny thing though, everyone says it improves fertility yet I had the opposite happen. I'm not sure why unless my roo just didn't like the Brazilian wax feel

 

[MakNat]

I have a Cochin roo 'Hoss' who I thought was shooting blanks... Well, we live and learn, right???? I noticed his butt was a little dirty. I caught him and flipped him over. OMG... He had a golf ball sized glob of rock hard poop, plus ALOT more nasty feathers.. I cut the glob out, then plucked and trimmed him up real nice. I felt HORRIBLE. He is breeding like crazy. He is about 5 yrs old so I don't know if he is in fact shooting blanks, but I would say that mess had a huge part to do with it. Needless to say, I do a butt check on everyone, very often now!!!

 

[galanie]

LOL yes! Those fuzzy butted breeds will get a ball of goo "there" if my Orps are any indication. I have one that I've just started using for breeding and an initial butt check showed he had a marble sized ball of it firmly stuck to his business section, along with the nasty wad of "regular" stuff stuck to the feathers below. SNIP SNIP! First check of my older boy had showed the same thing, only a bit larger.

 

[CluckyJay]

I plucked the vents of my new chickens. They had lice and mites pretty badly and the eggs were all over the vent feathers. It was really quick and took care of God only knows how many parasites. :O They seem more comfortable now, too!

 

[Xtineart]

need some advice re: clipping feathers round the vent, basically how short can I cut without harming the bird or hurting it? My bird is bad at cleaning and always has really claggy dried poo on her rear feathers under her vent. It's not gleet but once it starts to build up she doesn't clean it and I have to try to bathe her and chip the stuff off. It's set like concrete and I feel like I must be hurting her an awful lot when I have to break the lumps off her poor red skin and back end. I've been told I should clip the feathers there to stop it building up again save putting her through the pain and stress of a regular bath. I chopped a little off today but it's so hard to see as the feathers are so dirty, even after soap, water and a thorough picking. Can I cut too short or will it not hurt her too mcuch. Is it more cruel to let her walk around with a wet, sore gritty bum than it would be to have her feathers chopped back?

help. I felt so cruel cutting some of them today. Keep worrying she'll bleed to death or get an infection or something because of me