Author Topic: Cleaning a chicken's bum (Read 4715 times)

Dans · « **on:** August 14, 2016, 12:55:56 am »

I always come here with the loveliest questions.

How do you clean a chicken's bum? We've got another broody. This one, despite being moved off the nest each day is pooping in the nest box. I moved her off today and when I felt underneath her I realised she is caked in poop around her vent. She must have pooped then sat in it

I tried coaxing the poop out of the feathers but it is really dried in. Do I need to wash her? Cut the feathers? How on earth do you wash a chicken's bum? Is she at risk of fly strike?

Dans - quickly coming to the conclusion that this may not be a good broody hen.

Fleecewife · « **Reply #1 on:** August 14, 2016, 01:14:07 am »

If it's the fluffy bum feathers, then yes you can trim it just like dagging a sheep. Get someone else to hold the front end, with thick gloves on (that end in a broody is mighty sharp) so you don't cut her when she squirms. I suppose she is in some danger of fly strike, at times when she's not sitting on the poopy rear end. It's also not good for the eggs to have faecal matter pressed against the porous shells.

Louise Gaunt · « **Reply #2 on:** August 14, 2016, 08:27:55 am »

I have washed caked on poo off- warm water, lots of it, gently pour water over the poo until it softens then tease the poo out of the feathers. I usually do,this on a warm day so they dry off quickly. One of my blue marans quite frequently has a dirty bum as I think she has so many feathers the poo gets caught up in the !

in the hills · « **Reply #3 on:** August 14, 2016, 09:23:14 am »

Only had one broody do this. We did as FW suggests and trimmed off what we could. Did have to wash her with soapy warm water on one occasion, rinsed well and then dried the best we could.
Main thing is to keep the eggs as clean and dry as possible. So personally would trim first and only wash if needed and try to dry well ... Not that easy we found!
Never had a hen struck but suppose a possibility.

Celli · « **Reply #4 on:** August 14, 2016, 09:57:04 am »

I always trim the keeked on feathers off, much less stressful for both hen and owner, and you don't have to do it again any time soon.

Marches Farmer · « **Reply #5 on:** August 14, 2016, 10:56:49 am »

Flies around here don't find chicken poop an attractive place to lay. Have the eggs hatched yet?

Ghdp · « **Reply #6 on:** August 14, 2016, 11:20:16 am »

i have popped an obliging but poo caked bird into a sink and given her nether regions a good soak and cleaned her up ( using baby bath stuff.) She did not seem too bothered.

Dans · « **Reply #7 on:** August 14, 2016, 01:07:11 pm »

Thanks guys. We will try trimming her. Will normal kitchen scissors be up to the job?

She's at day 17 with these eggs. She's made quite a mess of the eggs. I've brushed off the worst of the poo with a dry sponge. We also had a slight accident with nest box door leading to two badly cracked eggs. Put some candle wax on and they are still moving the next day so

Not a great brooding so far. The chicks frim the last batch are doing good though. Other than one that got out and got killed by something (cat, chicken or goose but my money is on the goose) *sigh* it all gets easier right?

Dans

in the hills · « **Reply #8 on:** August 14, 2016, 07:43:54 pm »

I badly cracked an egg last year

It was stuck to mum when I lifted her , fell and cracked. Looked like it had been tapped over with a spoon

Emergency and could only think of super glue!

Amazingly chick survived but had to be picked out of the shell! As it tried to hatch the egg sort of squashed down. Only one leg was able to pop out!

It was a little hen but would have won it's right to stay even if it had been a lad.

Good luck with your cracked eggs