Mucky hen bottoms

[Thomzo]

My bantams have feathery feet so often have to drag around a huge ball of dried on mud on their feet. They usually manage to sort it out by themselves so I haven't had to give them a pedicure yet!

Zoe

[Millymollymandy]

She has a filthy bum again and one of the others who has just finished being broody has a dried up dag stuck to her..... oh joy.

[red]

what do you use to worm her? just wondering if worth trying something else.

some hens just seem prone to it though...

[Millymollymandy]

Can't remember the name of the stuff offhand but there's only one product available in France, then you have to wait 4 days before you can eat the eggs again.

I washed both hen's bums but they are still a mess because they've got poo dried onto the feathers all the way to the base and I can't therefore cut the feathers off, and I can't soak the really dried on encrusted poo short of sitting the hen in a bowl of water for half an hour, which I don't think is very possible! Will probably have another attempt today.

[scallywag]

Do they have a spot to dust-bathe? My two seem to take care of themselves nicely in an odd corner of a border.

[Millymollymandy]

Yes, plenty of them including one inside - but that's something I've noticed, the one with the permanent mucky bum doesn't dust bathe like the others do. I gave them a vitamin tonic in their water for a couple of days but I think Ginger's bum is just going to be always disgusting - cleaned her again yesterday and she doesn't have many feathers left down there. Her skin is a bit pink and I wonder whether their poo burns their skin? It's really hard to try to sponge off dried on poo.