# Poop butt



## KJEgloff

My biggest gal, 8mo old, has this poopy nasty buildup on her butt. How do I get it off? Can I give her a bath? It's all in her feathers so I couldn't knock it off with a stick ... Plus her skin looks a little red/pink and irritated and none of my other birds look that way. Thoughts? Ideas?


----------



## nannypattyrn

KJE, hello and welcome! You can give your bird a little bath and use a gentle product. However, when I inspect the vent area for the reason, I also trim the feathers just around the vent and not too big of area. My hen had a sore, open area that I clean with dawn dish soap and water. Then I disinfected with betadine and put antibiotic oint around the vent. I had to do that a couple of times. She healed nicely.


----------



## seminole wind

Hi and welcome! Yes I have a few hens with velcro butts (versus teflon butt). I cut the dirty feathers off and trim a path downward. Then I coat the area with whatever I have on hand that looks soothing.


----------



## robin416

The cream used for diaper rash is very effective at healing and protecting the skin from further scalding.


----------



## chickenqueen

Your chicken sounds like she has vent gleem a yeast infection,which causes a white poop poopy butt, causes the skin to get very irritated and feather loss.It can also kill a chicken.Nystatin is the drug of choice to treat it but I think it's prescription only.I add apple cider vinegar to their water- 1 tablespoon per gallon of water-which helps balance the normal digestive system bacteria.It does not treat it-only helps to prevent it.Also,you might want to use an athlete's foot cream on her butt,it's an antifungal and will protect her skin and heal it,yeast infections fall somewhere in line with mold and fungal infections.It can be caused by dirty water,moldy food or who knows-it happens.You can also feed her plain,unsweetened yogurt.I hope your hen recovers.


----------



## nannypattyrn

Nystatin cream can be found in the women's health section at WM I think.


----------



## robin416

nannypattyrn said:


> Nystatin cream can be found in the women's health section at WM I think.


No kidding? I never even thought about it being available OTC, I've always said they have to see a vet. Well, I guess they still do if they need the oral dose.


----------



## chickenqueen

You would have to treat vent gleem orally-if you see signs it's probably well established and causing more havoc inside than you see on the outside.Know anybody with babies who had thrush?Very common in infants and it's treated with oral Nystatin-probably safe strength for chickens.


----------



## dawg53

Here's a link to Vent Gleet with symptoms and treatments. 
http://www.ultimatefowl.com/wiki/index.php?title=Vent_Gleet
Regular poopy butt may require soaking in warm water to remove feces from feathers and vent areas as mentioned. Nu Stock will clear up red bottoms.
Here are pics of birds with Vent Gleet to help you identify it IF that's what you're dealing with:


----------



## KJEgloff

I trimmed up her feathers, cleaned up her butt with some dawn and water, put on some cream and gave her some treats for being such a good girl. These are the pics, I don't think it's infected, I think the poop was pulling out her feathers but I'll keep putting on cream for a week or so. Any other advice?


----------



## rosco47

coconut oil is a good natural household remedy. i swear i put that crap on everything now...dry skin, cuts, sunburn(yes i got sunburnt in February), diaper rash (not me, but little Rosco)...


----------



## dawg53

You did an excellent job cleaning her rear end and it's not vent gleet, thankfully. There appears to be very little redness and no infection. Just a word of caution, dont trim feathers and fluff back too close to the skin. 
Continue with the cream or coconut oil like Rosco mentioned, as needed.


----------



## MikeA_15

The good news is your hen doesn't have vent gleet. Her vent looks healthy, and birds soil their vents from time to time. The better the digestion, the less likely it will happen. Their feathers will get a few clingers once in awhile, but keeping the vent lightly trimmed, especially during warm weather is important to prevent flies from being attracted to that area.

I have used Miconozole cream to cure vent gleet in the past.


----------



## dawg53

MikeA_15 said:


> The good news is your hen doesn't have vent gleet. Her vent looks healthy, and birds soil their vents from time to time. The better the digestion, the less likely it will happen. Their feathers will get a few clingers once in awhile, but keeping the vent lightly trimmed, especially during warm weather is important to prevent flies from being attracted to that area.
> 
> I have used Miconozole cream to cure vent gleet in the past.


"Clingers" hahahaha, good one!


----------



## KJEgloff

I had to laugh out loud when I read that I did a good job knowing that it was in reference to cleaning a Chicken butt. Nastiest job I've had as a chicken momma. Luckily she was a very good girl. She lucky she's my favorite too. 

I plan to keep on top of any clingers and not let it get that bad again so I'm hoping not to have to trim her too much. 

Thanks for all the advice.


----------



## MikeA_15

KJEgloff said:


> I had to laugh out loud when I read that I did a good job knowing that it was in reference to cleaning a Chicken butt. Nastiest job I've had as a chicken momma. Luckily she was a very good girl. She lucky she's my favorite too.
> 
> I plan to keep on top of any clingers and not let it get that bad again so I'm hoping not to have to trim her too much.
> 
> Thanks for all the advice.


You're welcome. I can't even count the times I've pulled a clinger off over the years. A box of blue nitrile gloves is always on the shelf.


----------



## dawg53

MikeA_15 said:


> You're welcome. I can't even count the times I've pulled a clinger off over the years. A box of blue nitrile gloves is always on the shelf.


Ditto. I ordered 12 boxes from Jeffers 2 months ago. I've got enough gloves to last me for awhile lol.


----------



## nannypattyrn

I always have 1 unused glove left over after doing a one handed prep on my eye pts. I save those up. So, I don't have to buy them.


----------



## jstringerrn75

And how exactly do you give a chicken a bath? I have a poopy butted chicken too. I guess I need step by step instructions, maybe wit some pictures. How do you keep them from wiggling around and escaping? How do you hold them, I guess, is my biggest question. 

Thanks again!


----------



## dawg53

jstringerrn75 said:


> And how exactly do you give a chicken a bath? I have a poopy butted chicken too. I guess I need step by step instructions, maybe wit some pictures. How do you keep them from wiggling around and escaping? How do you hold them, I guess, is my biggest question.
> 
> Thanks again!


I use a small plastic container and fill it a little less than half full with lukewarm water. I then put the hen in the water and let her soak for a few minutes. This helps soften feces. They settle down and seem to like it, they even doze off sometimes. I then gently hold her down with one hand while 'washing' her rear end with my other hand, wearing a disposable glove of course. When feces is softened enough, it's easily removed.
I normally use my fingers to crush feces that is stuck to the base of feather shafts. If it's too hard, I let it soak some more.
I then remove the hen from the water, pat dry her rear end with an old hand towel. Then use the hair dryer on her. During the summer when it's hot, I just release them back into the pen after pat drying.
This is how I do it, other folks might do it differently.


----------



## KJEgloff

Grant loves to be held and pet so it might be different, but I just held her with her head under my arm and her butt out. It was a big clomp of poop so I cut most of it out and washed out the little clingers. For the bath I used a large Tupperware with Luke warm water and a splash of dove soap. When she was done I dried her a little, put some cream on and let her be free range for the afternoon. It was 72* she finished drying from the warmth of the sun.


----------



## seminole wind

I wonder if non-stick spray like Pam would work. Or friz-ease. Makes a slick surface.


----------



## MikeA_15

seminolewind said:


> I wonder if non-stick spray like Pam would work. Or friz-ease. Makes a slick surface.


I've groomed quite a few dogs and my only problem with conditioners and oil based products were that they attract dirt. I just make sure moist droppings don't gather. Most of the time, a small amount just dries and falls off when chickens groom themselves. Crap science


----------



## seminole wind

Okay, then silicone or dimethicone based conditioners. Or even Show Sheen spray made to make horses shiny and repel dirt.


----------



## bisco174

*sick chickens*

My daughter and I are relatively new to chicken keeping and have an issue we are hoping to gain some perspective on. Yesterday, I noticed one of our chickens acting very lethargic and sand distant from the rest of the flock. Surprisingly, she didn't resist me picking her up and holding her. I then noticed this build on her tail feathers and assumed her lethargy was due to constipation. I cleaned the area and moved her inside as most of her feathers were wet @nd the outside temp was around 10 degrees. She settled into the pen and seemed to go right to sleep. I checked on her a couple hours later and she was still sleeping soundly.this morning when I checked on her, she was dead. If this wasn't bad enough, we've noticed this same build.up on a couple of the other chickens. I don't know if it's related or not but that's where it all started. We had 6 chickens, now 5, in a 6x8 coop with an 8x18 run area. We feed them organic pellets and they get fresh water 2 to 3 times a day. We area animal lovers (4 dogs, 2 cats and now 5 chickens)and I've been told that our chickens are pampered. We had planned on doubling the flock in the spring but now have obvious concerns. Any insight would be greatly appreciated


----------



## dawg53

Bisco174. You didnt mention their age nor how you acquired your birds, whether you raised them from chicks or not. 
There are several reasons why your birds have poopy butt; a sudden change in diet, too much greens, worms, coccidia, etc... However for a bird to die due to poopy butt is a very serious matter. Lethargy due to constipation isnt the answer. My first thought could possibly be vent gleet which is generally a severe yeast infection, but it can also be bacterial in some instances. 
Lethargy can also be caused by a hen being eggbound, having internal and/or external parasites as well as many other diseases which could cause lethargy. Fly strike is out of the question due to your cold temps.
Here's a link about Vent Gleet and treatments, if that's what you're dealing with. A photo or two from your other hens rear ends would help identify whether it's vent gleet or something else.
http://www.ultimatefowl.com/wiki/index.php?title=Vent_Gleet


----------



## seminole wind

Welcome Bisco!
It's always sad to lose a chicken, especially with kids involved. My best guess would be coccidiosis if they are young (under 6 months?) I would get some Corid at Tractor supply or on amazon to have on hand. With cocci they die within a few days. You can also treat the rest now just in case. It goes in the water.

With every hatch I've had, I've had one that gets it. It's in the ground and common.


----------

