Keeping Faverolles (and other bearded/feathered-food breeds) clean

[RGB RIP]

I have one Salmon Faverolles hen. She's the only chicken I've had with a beard and feathered feet, and it just seems like she's always uncomfortable and dirty compared to my other chickens. Her beard and feet are always encrusted with dirt, and I'm constantly having to clean her bottom. I think she's uncomfortable in the summer heat, because she likes to stick her whole head in the waterer. I have a box with sand and DE for dust baths, but she much prefers to dig a hole in the yard and roll in it until she's filthy. She seems to spend more time molting than my other chickens, so she often has sort of prickly quills coming out. And even though I try to keep her run clean and I wipe down her feet almost daily, I'm now noticing a small spot of bumble foot on one of her toes.

Can someone who has experience with this breed give me some advice for keeping her clean, or at least more comfortable? My chickens are pets more than livestock, and while I don't need to groom them like show chickens, this girl just seems like a hot mess all the time, and no one wants to handle her because she's kind of gross. What can I do?

 

[JacinLarkwell]

I keep them as dry as possible. No mud that can stick to their feet

 

[Artfuldodgerrs]

I have one Salmon Faverolles hen. She's the only chicken I've had with a beard and feathered feet, and it just seems like she's always uncomfortable and dirty compared to my other chickens. Her beard and feet are always encrusted with dirt, and I'm constantly having to clean her bottom. I think she's uncomfortable in the summer heat, because she likes to stick her whole head in the waterer. I have a box with sand and DE for dust baths, but she much prefers to dig a hole in the yard and roll in it until she's filthy. She seems to spend more time molting than my other chickens, so she often has sort of prickly quills coming out. And even though I try to keep her run clean and I wipe down her feet almost daily, I'm now noticing a small spot of bumble foot on one of her toes.

Can someone who has experience with this breed give me some advice for keeping her clean, or at least more comfortable? My chickens are pets more than livestock, and while I don't need to groom them like show chickens, this girl just seems like a hot mess all the time, and no one wants to handle her because she's kind of gross. What can I do?

I have one Salmon Faverolles hen. She's the only chicken I've had with a beard and feathered feet, and it just seems like she's always uncomfortable and dirty compared to my other chickens. Her beard and feet are always encrusted with dirt, and I'm constantly having to clean her bottom. I think she's uncomfortable in the summer heat, because she likes to stick her whole head in the waterer. I have a box with sand and DE for dust baths, but she much prefers to dig a hole in the yard and roll in it until she's filthy. She seems to spend more time molting than my other chickens, so she often has sort of prickly quills coming out. And even though I try to keep her run clean and I wipe down her feet almost daily, I'm now noticing a small spot of bumble foot on one of her toes.

Can someone who has experience with this breed give me some advice for keeping her clean, or at least more comfortable? My chickens are pets more than livestock, and while I don't need to groom them like show chickens, this girl just seems like a hot mess all the time, and no one wants to handle her because she's kind of gross. What can I do?

Oh you just discribed our Charlotte. We ordered ten day-old chicks, 2 chicks of 5 breeds. We lost one chick at 3 days old, that chick was our second Faverolles chick. Charlotte was her match. The other breeds are large breeds and we watched Charlotte as she was a smaller breed chicken. At first she was leary of the other chicks and tended to run from them at 4 weeks old she was over that and 3 of the other birds adopted her and took turns keeping a eye on her. At 20 weeks they moved into there new coop and all got to know there attached run and a week later they we’re released into their chicken yard.
Charlotte was the first at digging in dirt, digging in the compost bins, dust bathing anywhere she could dig a hole. They do have a dust bath in there run. Charlotte was in heaven being the dirtiest chicken in the flock. Comic relief!
We had a really hot summer and her beard was always dirty from eating watermelon and drinking water. Then fall arrived and rain, now there were areas of mud and she was out in it.
A hour before bed time we brought the flock in to the run and I dipped all the feathered footed birds in a hospital bin filled with warm water and a hint of soap. Toweled there feet off and let them dry before it was time to go up.
I also toweled dry Charlottes beard. After three days I decided to put cornstarch on her beard after I toweled it off, it worked on our Maltese show dogs to keep there eye runoff clean and dry. To end this long story the corn starch is keeping her beard dry and a dry beard is a clean beard and its white.

 

[BirdYard]

About the dust bath: we use a sand/peat moss mix with just a little DE. It can be very dusty if left totally dry. I understand nothing should be wet/damp but I hydrate the bath when I can see dust rising when they use it. I mix in water with a rake for a minute until it's even. It's the right hydration when the mix doesn't clump when you squeeze it but it doesn't get dust-cloudy when shaken. I find that as soon as they see me freshen it up, they line up to spend half an hour each inside. Our 2 Faverolles needed a wet bath once to clear dingleberries but I think they were part of a loose poop situation that is all gone. I have them about 8 months and so far no mites/bugs ever.