[Casey76]

My pullets have been fantastic this year, and are in the pink of health, not a mucky bum in sight.  Now it seems that as soon as they come into lay they all have dirty knickers.

Could it just be a "side effect" of coming into lay i.e. different use of the "downstairs" muscles.  Will it improve in time?

I have to admit that all of my hens/pullets are more than a bit feral and I can only handle them at night once they are in the coop, so catching them to give them a bath is a bit of a tricky business.

In terms of environment/food etc, nothing has changed over the past few weeks.  There are no sneezes or rattles, no inflamed sinuses amongst any of my birds.  I've never had a cocci outbreak *touch wood*

The current feed available is layers pellets in the main pen, and growers in the two small pens, though to be honest everyone eats what they want to (mainly the growers    - it seems the higher protein food is more tasty than the lower protein layers) All pellets are available all day.  They also get about 2L of mixed grain (between 15 birds) once a week, and this lasts around 3 days).  Oyster shell and mixed grit available all day in separate feeders to the pellets.

On an afternoon I'll often give them half a melon (when it's hot), or some stale bread (soaked) or some hard boiled egg - but never all together, just one thing (per day) at a time.

Apart from that they are free to range over about 140m2 of the garden, though there is little grass now.  I can't think of anything which is flowering or fruiting which would affect the pullets only as all the hens have access to the same area and they don't have mucky knickers.

Any ideas?

[Sue33]

could the melon be making their poos a bit runnier than normal i know cucumber has that effect on my girls.........

[Casey76]

It's just a bit puzzling that it is only the pullets which are effected though. 

The hens are OK  :blink:

[joyfull]

probably is because they have just come into lay - hopefully they will soon sort themselves out 

[Caralou]

Most of mine have gone through the mucky bum stage. Etta who is now living with Joy was a really mucky bum girl when she was first coming into lay but now has the most lovely fluffy knickers. Hopefully in a few weeks they will be all fluffy again