Mucky butt - clip or soak?

[MrsCordial]

One of our hens, Bluebell the imaginatively-named Bluebelle - has a magnificently fluffy but rather mucky bottom. I hoped it would sort itself out but it hasn't so we need to sort it out at the weekend. Is it okay to snip off the fluff, or shou;d we avoid that? I wanted to soak off what I could (catch her, wrap a tea towel over her head to calm her, stand her in a basin of tepid water and get busy with the Marigolds on) but DH reckons we should just clip it off. Is there any reason not to do that? I didn't want her getting a cold bot or getting any bother fronm the others for being a bit strange-looking, but she's a real bruiser and has never yet been known to take any nonsense from anyone!

[Scarlet]

I would give her a soak in tepid water, it should come off easily.
Though there's usually a reason for mucky bottoms, worms - have you wormed recently with flubenvet? Or lice, they poo on themselves to cover them/stop the itching etc.

If you clip her, it will take until the next moult to refresh her feathers - she will be bald until next Autumn! It may also encourage the other chickens to peck her bottom as it will be a different colour...this may lead to other problems.

[Guest]

If she has dangly cling ons I would cut, but if it is just generally mucky then a nice wash

[MrsCordial]

Thanks both. I usually worm them once a month but have left it longer recently as I saw no signs whatsoever of worms and don't like to medicate unnecessarily. If it was worms, wouldn't they all have them, picking them up in no time from each other?

[Scarlet]

What are you worming with? Remember Vermex is a preventative, not a wormer. This can be used between your worm treatment of flubenvet. Not instead off.
Yes its a never ending cycle, they all have them but the numbers increase rapidly if they aren't kept in check.

[MrsCordial]

Good point. I'll get in-feed wormer and more Vermex on Saturday. By Saturday we should have all hens present and correct, de-mucked, behind bars and wormed!

[fishpond]

A soak, then a very gentle dry with a low heat hairdryer.
She will love you forever (a couple of minutes anyway).

[Scarlet]

I had a rabbit once who loved the hairdryer!

[frias]

I have one chicken who's forever having a mucky bum. She gets a warm bath and towel tried. If it's warm and sunny I leave her dry off outside but if it's cold she sits indoors in a box for a couple of hours. Vermex doesn't work. It's got to be Flubevet for worming.

[MrsCordial]

I can't imagine Bluebell quietly sitting indoors for 10 seonds, never mind 10 minutes! We treat our hens well, talk to them and pick them up, but they aren't particularly docile.

DH managed to catch Bluebell, for which he deserves a medal, and I soaked what I could but had to cut off the worst lump - yeeuch. We'll know to catch her sooner next time so that we can just soak and avoid the clipping. Happy to report that skin underneath was happy and pink, no sign of ammonia burns or anything taking up residence in there. I know there's a chance the others might peck at the exposed part, but I'd like to see them try - Bluebell's a bruiser!