Patridge bantam chicken poorly foot?

[Laura&Sean]

If one of the hens has a dirty bum I panic and dunk her in a trug full of warm water to try to clean it.

 

I really worry about maggots and flystrike, am I being over cautious or do the flies lay eggs as soon as they smell a mucky bum?

 

Also one of my chickens Lolo has stopped laying for the last week and has a mucky bum everyday, I have just ordered Flubenvet online even though I have not seen any worms.

She seems to be thinner than she was too she is still eating, drinking and going about her usual business but there is something not right.

 

I have no red mite and have checked for lice on all the birds, not easy is it?

 

Please can someone give me some advice.

[jomaxsmith]

My black Maran Cuivre gets a mucky bum - I think it is just her luxuriant fluffy knickers. I tend to leave it - I did wash her once when it got very matted.

 

My new technique is to dust her knickers with Diatom so that she preens it herself - it seems to work and is less stressful for her than a bath.

 

My hens have been laying noticeably less regularly over the last few weeks, I've put it down to the shortening days.

 

Jo

[Egluntyne]

I was and trim mucky feathers because:

 

1. It doesn't look good.

 

2. I reckon it can't be comfortable.

 

3. I want to avoid **flystrike**.

[Karen Pimlott]

Northern mite can look like a mucky bum looks like clumps of ash stck to the feathers.

 

http://www.entomology.cornell.edu/Extension/Vet/AID/Arthropod_IDPoultryOnBird.html

 

Copy & paste the link.

 

K

[chelsea]

yes as the others have said check for lice and mites as this is a sign with dirty bums.

 

We do wash our ella as she is prone to a dirty bum, she really enjoys it. Some warm water with a small squirt of ecover washing up liquid, a nice wipe down with soft sponge, rinse, towel dry and then dry completely with low setting on hairdryer.

 

If possible try to do on a warm day, or in the morning (not before bed).

[Blackrocksrock]

I seem to be always washing dirty bums - I am scared of fly strike - I think they sit in the nest box overnight and make a mess and sit in it! - They get taken into the utility room under my left arm and bums get washed and clipped feathers with the scissors if necessary. I like clean fluffy knicks