Very smelly point of lay chickens - Silver Laced Wyandottes

[lisalovli]

I recently acquired two point-of-lay Silver Laced Wyandotte hens that seem healthy enough for their age but I am finding that they really SMELL!

My other hens I have had for a while (Sussex) smell lovely and neutral and I love holding them and patting them but these new hens stink! When I pick them up they leave my hands very smelly and I have to change my top and wash my hands. It is sort of like a fishy smell but not quite, not a rotten smell either but it is bad and doesn't go away unless you really wash your hands and change clothes that have been in contact with them. They stunk out my car as I was transporting them 15 minutes to my house.

Does anyone have any idea what this could be? Parasites? Skin infection? They seem a little 'oiler' than my other chickens, maybe, it's hard to tell. They also have a bit of poo caught on their rear feathers but nothing too bad or too matted.

They are free-range all day with plenty of room, vegetation and dust areas, and they are in a brand new immaculate coop at night, straw changed daily.
It is NOT the coop that smells, it is them. On the same day, from a different breeder, I got a Rhode Island Red as well and she doesn't smell at all. Thank you!

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Welcome To BYC

I'm sorry you're having troubles.
You mention they seem oilier than the others - perhaps they were treated with something before you got them? Some type of oil for lice/mites? Neem? I don't know! Just trying to think what stinks LOL

From your description that the smell lingers on your clothes and hands, very likely something is on the feathers when you are touching them and not something to do with "health".

If it's bad and it doesn't resolve after they've taken a good dust bathing, then you may need to give them a gentle wash. Normally most folks don't bath a chicken unless getting ready to show, but if they are stinky and it's not going away...give them one LOL Use something mild - baby shampoo or something along those lines would be good.

It won't hurt to look them both over for lice/mites, any scabby skin/wounds, look at their vent to make sure they don't have a discharge, look inside their beaks for canker/lesions (smell for bad odor) and see that their crops are emptying.

Let us know how it goes. If you have photos you wish to share we would love to see those too.

 

[FluffyBottomBantams]

I agree on the bath, can’t hurt. we bath our chickens for show like @Wyorp Rock mentioned, we use baby soap and lukewarm water. Be sure not to get their heads wet at all, you don’t want to risk getting water/soap in their eyes or nostrils. If their heads really needed cleaning for some reason you could use a q-tip or damp wash cloth.

 

[NatJ]

How long have you had them?
The smell might go away over the first week or so.

If it's caused by something on their feathers, they will probably remove it gradually as they preen themselves.

If it's caused by something they ate at their old home, it will almost certainly go away with time, since I'm sure you're now feeding them the same food as your other hens.

(If you've already had them for more than a week or two, ignore everything I've just said!)