We love our fluffy chicken breeds like Silkies, Orpingtons and Pekins, but all those gorgeous feathers can sometimes lead to a bit of a messy situation at the back end.
If you notice your chooks walking around with dirty bottoms, it is time for a quick hygiene trim. It is not just about keeping them looking clean. A messy vent can cause real discomfort, skin irritation, dirty eggs and even dangerous flystrike. Plus, no one wants to walk around with poo dangling, and our chickens feel exactly the same about it. Most importantly if you are keen to breed, the build up of droppings around the vent area affects fertility significantly.
Giving chicken a trim is very simple and takes just a few minutes and doesn’t cause any pain. It is just like a haircut. You are just trimming the feathers around the vent area to keep the path clear. A good pair of scissors will do the trick perfectly.
If you have quite a few chooks to get through and want to make the process quicker, a cheap set of hair clippers does an amazing job. We purchased a cordless trimmer from Kmart and that has saved us so much time and work.
If you notice dirty feathers are still an issue after trimming, there may be other underlying causes. Things like a heavy worm burden or vent gleet could be the culprit, so you will want to look into treating those conditions if the mess continues.
It makes a world of difference to their daily comfort and overall health. Your fluffy regular customers will definitely appreciate the tidy up!
