4m x 3m Omlet pen, cube, new auto door still boxed and coop light

[mrsm_jones]

Kiev layed her first egg today! (Yippee!), but when I checked her over, I noticed she has dirty vent fluff! She is an Orpington, so lots of fluff round her backside, but it was quite matted, like dreadlocks, and she seemed a bit puffed up than normal. Also she seemed to be contracting and relxing her bum quite a lot.

 

Is she just unaccustomed to the feeling of the egg popping through, hence the strange movements? But then what about the dirty, matted bum fluff? Her bum itself seemed ok ie no redness.

Thanks

[Trish]

When they are moulting and I can see their vents mine seem to move them in and out most of the time. Our Maddy occasionally gets a matted bum, must be teh fluffy drawers. I just take a washing up bowl of warm soapy water out to the chooks run and plonk her in it. Once she's in the warm water she seems to relax and so long as I keep a gentle hold on her she stays there while I massage the lumps out. A quick fluff up on a towel and she's fine. I guess you might want to do the same operation indoors whilst it's still cold out. Some peopel use hair dryers with their chooks but they freek my cats so I don't risk it. Hope that helps

[Egluntyne]

Their vents do pulsate. Nothig to worry about.

 

I should give her a botty wash and trim and se how she goes.

 

Has she been wormed lately?

 

 

Edited for hideous typo.

Edited April 12, 2008 by Guest

[jomaxsmith]

I washed Daisy's fluffy knickers this morning as they were matted with a lump of poo. Dh poured some warm water with baby shampoo in over it while I held her tight and massaged the matted bit. We actually used the scissors on one bit then realised they probably have blood vessels in there so stopped - there's no sign we've done any damage, thank goodness. As it's a warm day I didn't try to dry her and after an hour or so and a dust bath they were dry.

 

It looked like a few of the feathers had been plucked but not sure if that's related and now she's dried off the feathers look normal.

 

She's my chook that least likes being handled but she wasn't upset by it

 

Jo

[jomaxsmith]

I shuld give her a botty wash and trim and se how she goes

 

Is it ok to trim the fluffy feathers then? As I posted above, I was all set to go at my hen's matted poo with scissors then dh and I realised there might be a blood supply there so we stopped.

 

Jo

[Egluntyne]

I have trimmed very grotty feathers from time to time....very carefully and with round ended scissors.

 

No-one has bled yet...but I am very careful.

 

Now and then they do very splodgy poos which don't seem to clear the feathers...and it can't be comfy.

 

They always seem to appreciate the beauty treatment.

Edited April 13, 2008 by Guest

[Chicken Licken]

Clara had a wash and brush up today. Poor girl has 'golf balls' of old louse eggs on her feather shafts that have been there almost a year, and she had a pooey bottom and I think her golf balls itch as she has pulled out all the feathers she can reach on one side closest to them. I washed her in a bowl of warm soapy water with a drop of tea tree oil. Then trimmed the worst of her feathers and patted her dry. To add insult to injury I then purple sprayed her bald patch -poor girl. She did get extra grapes but I don't think she has forgiven me!

[Carol U]

Mine really love having their bums washed and will happily sit in a bowl of warm water while I shampoo them. They must find it soothing as they close their eyes and sort of purr! Give it a go.

[Trixabell]

Yeah I had to wash Rose's bottom the other weekend because of an unfortunate poo incident, she is my chook that least likes being handled but she was absolutely fine, stayed still and didn't mind me sponging her bottom clean

[mrsm_jones]

Thanks for that, gang . I'm glad there's nothing wrong with her. They all got wormed at the beginning of this month and last month, so knew it wasn't likely to be that, but isn't it weird how you worry!! Almost as much as I worry about my kids .

[chelsea]

just give her a check over for lice aswell. Our ella had a dirty bum and we were horrified to find lice!

 

Mine enjoy a bum wash or bath (we give both) I fill up one tubtrug with warm water with baby shampoo or ecover in and then another tubtrug of plain water to rinse them in. They are then dried with the hairdryer - the absolutely love it and make no attempts to struggle!