Poop on adult hens' butt feathers

[zephyr66]

Hi... I searched this topic but couldn't find it so I apologize if this is duplicating. I bought hens about 2 months ago - all 8 months old and they are laying well and active. I did see one strange poo about a week ago that was mostly a glob of gelatinous ooze and one other poo that seemed to have what looked like possible dead worms. But, no strange poos before or since. My question is some of my hens are getting some dried poo on their butt feathers. (trying not to laugh as i look at what i'm typing and being quite serious!

) Not a large amount of poo and they have no trouble eliminating, but I do notice it and didn't notice it on any of them before. My concern is that maybe they have some sort of chicken diahreah and this is not normal? So, basically, I would like to know if it's normal for a hen to have some mess on her butt at times. Thanks so much for your input. Just want my girls to stay healthy!

Sylvia

 

[Imp]

Hi zephyr66,

Short answer is yes, the occasional chicken can have poopy butt. I've had one for about 5 years. I mostly trimmed the feathers to keep her clean. For some reason it's pretty much gone after this years molt.

Long answer is that chickens have a lot of odd poops that are perfectly normal. I'll attach the link to the infamous poop page. The gelatinous one was probably cecal poo.

http://www.chat.allotment.org.uk/index.php?topic=17568.0

If you are seeing worms in the poop, worming them is probably in order.

There are some illnesses that can cause diarrhea, but you said that they are healthy otherwise. I wouldn't worry. Here's some easy links to illnesses for info:



http://www.colchesterpoultryclub.com/health.htm
http://www.welphatchery.com/poultry_health.asp

Good luck

Imp

 

[flockof4]

Yeah, poop on feathers is normal. You can trim the feathers back there if there's a lot of poop or if you just don't like looking at it. I trim my birds' feathers occasionally and they don't mind.

 

[SportChick]

Sorry to bring this one up again, but my adult chickens (also 8 months old) have the same problem. I have noticed it for ages but honestly I am not sure if it's always the same hen or not. Now I have 2 of my 5 with a pretty large, gob of dried poo. They are happy, eating well and laying well and seem to have a normal variety of poo textures.

My question is, do I have to worry about it at all? Is it ever an issue like it was when they were chicks? I am not enthusiastic about trimming their butt feathers, but if they can become obstructed, I guess I would have to.

 

[Miss Lydia]

I have 17 hens and trim just about all their butt feathers, not only does it help with poopy butt but also helps me to see if there could be other problems like prolapse etc.. it's not hard at all and they don't mind a bit, just trim enough where the poop won't stick.

 

[Judy]

I've never trimmed a butt. (Waits for laughter to subside.) I have two or three that get bits of dried poop but not large amounts. Some of them seem to be better at arching their back (or whatever they do) when they poop so it clears the feathers, and some just have an awfully fluffy butt. It's nowhere close to obstructing the vent, more on the tips of the feathers. I see it now and then when I check for lice/mites. I would trim or bathe if it were a real mess, but it's more like a little kid who's not very good at wiping himself.

 

[teach1rusl]

I've got a girl now whose butt feathers/fuzz I need to trim up...I hate those globby cling-ons.

But no, it's not like pasty butt in chicks. So it's for aesthetics more than anything to get rid of it.

 

[FuzzyButtsFarm]

I have one chick who had pasty butt twice when she was little. Didn't notice until she got bigger that she has no tail. Mom is an EE. I've had to clean her butt one time since then. Now I keep an eye on it. Looks like a rumpless araucana

 

[Imp]

There is the issue with poopy butt, that the poop if left on can cause ammonia burns to the skin.

Imp

 

[mdguffey]

my RI Red's were having it all the time. i found out they weren't using the roosting bars. i had to place them on the bars a few times till they figured it out, no poop butt since then. lol