[violet]

I am very new to this hen situation...so tell me.... our lavender Pekin looks so pathetic in the leg department...SOOOOOOOOOO dirty.  Are we supposed to clean her? she spends all day digging around and generally demolishing anything in sight, eating and chasing blackbirds...she seems very happy, but I would not like to think we were neglecting her.

So the question really is Do we just leave well alone or should we intervene to help tidy her up?

[agapanthus]

I'd just leave her....she's obviously happy and has'nt got time to preen!!;)

[Viv]

i wouldn't worry too much, you'll clean her up and she'll only get dirty again. As long as she's happy and her legs are not sore than let her get on with it.

[Foxy]

Most of my birds have fluffy feet and can get quite dirty. I check them routinely to ensure that mud hasn't got caked on and causing any problems walking. I also "trim" my lavender pekins foot feathers in the autumn to help keep clean. They can be prone to scaly leg mite  cos of their feathered feetnso check regulary for ugly greyish raised scales. (the mites burrow underneath the scales causing them to become raised from the leg) If you find them coat in vaseline to kill the mites by suffocation and make sure to apply a good preventative regularily Otherwise dont worry my birds delight in getting as muddy as possible!

[violet]

Thank You!  just looking at her now she is running around in a little waddling sort of way in the rain and mud, chasing birds and squirels .... there is a lovely cosy house she can easily go into..... BUT....she must be having fun.

[babe]

some of mine have little shoes :roll:  well fraggle does

[violet]

Shoes?

[Jellyhead]

Shoes?

 :shock:  :shock:

Piccies Babe :roll:

[Jellyhead]

[Aunt Sally]

Fraggle has her slippers on in the photo comp.  Does she have day shoes too Babe  

I think Fraggle Rock(s)