Cleaning a dirty bum

[kathyd]

Nice topic eh. Can anyone tell me how to remove a chunk of poo which has been stuck on my hen's bottom for days now please? I had a brief go with kitchen roll, and a pair of small scissors, but the kitchen roll was useless and I'm nervous with the scissors because I don't know if it's OK to cut the feathers or not... plus hard to keep the bird still for long enough! Is there another way of doing things? Or a special knack I don't know about?

Thx

[RichmondHens]

Either cut it off or pull it off. If you cut it you will be left with a short spikey stub, if you pluck it out it will regrow. Either way does no harm to the hen although she may object. I usually pull poo lumps off as it's quicker than fiddling with scissors but it does depend on the bird. A lot of my birds are easy to handle and very compliant, but I do have the odd maniac or two. Take a firm grasp of both legs with one hand, tip bird head down bum up (as if you are dusting) and either snip or pluck. If you are nervous about using the scissors near the vent (especially if the bird is wriggly) then I would go for the plucking option.

[kathyd]

Thanks RH - I had a go with her before and she's a lot cleaner now. I decided to snip initially, because pulling at the lump didn't do anything except make the bird wriggle! It was all stuck so close to the ends of the feathers that I couldn't really pull one at a time, and trying to pull out multiple feathers at once is a bit traumatising. However, I was able to cut it with several cautious snips, and when I get back from my short trip to the UK I'll have a go at pulling out the stumps, using tweezers or something if necessary. I don't think she'll mind single feathers being pulled. Fingers crossed. Thx for the advice .

[petal]

well, you could soak said lump in warm soapy water? i would just grab and pull,(you have to be quick!) or cut off.