[dannyboy2010]

hi all,

need a little help, i have just got 2  3 and a half month old lohmans.. they have a full coat of shiney feathers, healthy droppings, nice red combs and clear eyes..

the problem is they smell of wet dog..... i gave them a good coating of mite /red mite powder yesterday and i can still smell it.. just incase i have started to worm them to.

any ideas?
would you give them a bath?

[Helenaj]

Hi, is it their feathers smelling or is it the hens themselves (pick one up and smell the nostrils). If it's not the feathers and the smell appears to be coming from "inside" the bird, then I would be cautious and return the birds to the person you bought them off as they may have an underlying Mycoplasma infection as this makes the hen smell really foul (excuse the pun!). It will surface in times of stress - I've had huge problems with it since last year when I inadvertantly introduced an infected bird into my flock.
Examine the feathers - look for "frizzling" all over which may indicate feather mite and this can make them smell as well (droppings).
If the nostrils smell okay and the feathers look good, it may be the conditions they were housed in before you got them. Give them a warm bath using baby shampoo - they quite like it, but be sure to dry them off with a towel and hairdryer (they like that too!) before they retire for the night as they could get chilled.
Keep us posted as to how they get on.

[dannyboy2010]

hi, thanks for that .. i have just picked them up and the smell is in there feathers on there back and under there wing..

will i be ok bathing them  and using a shampoo for small animals by johns which kills mites lice and fleas??i use it on guniea pigs....

and once dry should i mite powder again or leave it a day or two?

[compostqueen]

I would give them a bath but only on a hot, sunny day so they can dry off properly during the day.  You do give them a gentle towel dry after the bath, having ensured that they are properly rinsed in clean water. I use kids shampoo from Avon    I use warm water and they actually like it very much. I use a large trug as a bath and you hold them with one hand and gently wash them with the other, paying attention to do the bum area very well.  You can give the legs and feet a bit of a "do" with a toothbrush or your fingers
Gentleness is the name of the game as you don't want to frighten them.  The shampoo you describe sounds fine

What bedding are you using?  Could it be that which is making them smell?  I use Aubiose or Hemcore which are excellent at absorbing wet and smells.

[dannyboy2010]

just bathed them and dryed with hair dryer (which as you said they liked. after i found a couple of mites (like nits) on my arm..couldnt really see if any blood spots apeared once i sqeazed them.

should i how powder them now they are dry?

i have just cleaned out there coop the other day with poultry sheild, and left powder and left powder all over the place in the nests and coop.

[compostqueen]

Yes you can dust the girls with the louse powder.  If you've put mite/louse powder in the housing and dust bath you might not need to dust the girls as well
though. 

Have your read all the "stickies" on the forum about these issues?  There is chapter and verse on all hen keeping matters on here    Everything you will encounter is here 

If you keep your housing and bedding clean then the girls should become clear of lodgers but it's something you have to keep on top of especially as the weather hots up

[dannyboy2010]

hi all, many thanks for all the advice..

turns out one of the ex batts i had just got was riddled with lice. and had a cold which come out and then they all got it.

since then i have been lice powdering every other day (as lice live for 3 days and new eggs hatch) giving tonic inthe water along with cider apple vinigar  and they have been on the mend for the past few days....hasnt stopped them laying tho..

many thanks

[compostqueen]

Use the powder as prescribed on the instructions, don't use more than you need to as you dont' want to harm the girls