Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat
Poultry and Pets => The Hen House => Topic started by: Jeanette on May 06, 2011, 12:16
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Hello sorry i have been away for a while but i am now back.
Can anyone help me. I have 9 girls all different breeds they are all healthy and laying everyday, they have been wormed and are fed layers pellets and a small amount of corn in the evening. I also give them green veg which is hanging up to give them some exercise streching for it. The problem is they have always got dirty bottoms and i am forever washing them it really does get very bad and i am so afraid that they will get fly strike. Is there anything that i can do to stop them getting so dirty, and is it ok to be always washing them. They are the cleanest girls around, but it does stress them.
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You could try feeding straight wheat for a week (nothing else), then slowly reintroducing layers.
Feeding wheat should firm up any faeces, so that it is less likely to dirty the bottom feathers.
you couls also try adding a bit of AviPro Plus to thier water, as it contains pro and pre biotics which might be beneficial after worming.
however some chickens just don't drop thier knickes low enough when toileting, and are pre disposed to dirty knickers. In these instances I would probably trim the feathers back slightly (not skin close!) for a time.
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As Casey says the AviproPlus is brilliant !
Cut out their greens for a week to see if that makes any difference.
Washing their fluff is fine but not an all over wash.
I had to resort to trimming the fluff feathers on one girl who was often a bit grubby ::)