[ck2day]

Hi, I am new to the forum and need some advice. I have 7 ex battery hens one of which (called Rudolph, don't ask it was my daughters choice of name) has a very dirty bum I have spoken to the vet and he advised worming her, which i have done. She seems fine in herself, eating and drinking well, cant say about laying as they are all free range and i dont get to watch her all the time. Non of the other seem to be affected by the same dirty bum and i cant find any info about dirty bums in my books. She has lost abit of weight but as she seems happy am loathe to do the "decent" thing and put an end to her life.

[richyrich7]

Hiya ck2day welcome to the forums, have you read This yet ? it's worth looking, I've heard that giving them a little live yoghurt can help, might be worth ago. What did you worm them with ?

[ck2day]

I wormed them all with liquid verm-x. None of the others seem to be affected in the same way.

[richyrich7]

I'm gonna move this thread to the hen house ck2day you may get more replies there.

Verm x is as i understand a herbal worming product, as far as I know it dosnt  affect all worms. I use flubenvet.

I'll ask some of our more experenced poutry keepers to have a look at this thread for you.

[Jellyhead]

Some of my chooks have occasionally had dirty botties but I added cider vinegar to the water (a forum tip) and that seemed to help. Its good to put it in their water regularly anyway. Hope this helps and hope chook gets better soon

[Foxy]

Hi there, apple cider vinegar would be good, as already mentioned, also I add a couple cloves crushed garlic to their water. You can also buy good  tonics like "Poultry Boost" Regarding worms, vermx is only a peventative if they already have worms it may not have got rid of them. It might be worth checking her crop to see if it is full at bedtime and empty at night - she might have a crop problem. Can you tell if she is laying?  And what colour is her comb? thats a good indicator of health. I do know from others (I have not kept exbats) that they can just keel over. As least she has had a taste of freedom! Hope this helps and hope she gets better soon

[Aunt Sally]

The advice above is good, but ex-batts by the time you get them can be very worn out.  They've been fed on a diet intended to make them lay hundreds of eggs.  If the vet has given you antibiotics that might help but often it is a case of giving the best life you can while the are with you.  A probiotic like Poultry Boost or Avipro may help.  You can google for a supplier.

Good luck and do let us know how she goes  

[jammy]

Hi ck2day, welcome to the forums.
I had a similar thing recently with one of my hens.  I noticed that her bum was a bit dirty but she seemed very healthy apart from that, eating, drinking, laying well, nice red comb etc so I kept an eye on her for a few days.  After a couple of days all the scales on her legs started to rise so I gave her a really good inspection (much to her disgust   :shock: ) and sure enough found a few lice round her rear end poor girl.  No idea how she managed to pick them up as I only have the two and they dont have access to any other birds and im pretty obsessive about keeping them and their house clean.  Anyway they are now both sorted out and her bum is all clean again.  So it may be wise to check them over for parasites.

[Aunt Sally]

Yes Jammy always a good idea to check for lice and mites  

[noshed]

Sometimes I'm quite glad I don't keep hens

[Aunt Sally]

They have no problems most of the time nosed.  but when the do get sick the don't tell you about it until it gets quite bad.

Ex-batts are always susceptible to diseases especially tummy ones.  They have been kept in disease free chicken sheds and build up no natural immunity, so they can get ill quite easily.  

[Foxy]

I know the feeling jammy! I think our wild birds carry the lice/fleas. I just make sure they are dusted regulary and I put some in their nestboxes. Checking regulary is the key - I found a few  yesterday on my orpington and felt awful!!! :? So a nice day today and a BIG cleanout!

[Fat Hen]

When I got 3 ex batts one of them had a dirty bum.  Keep an eye on her especially if it has a whitish tinge as I think this was a sign of a problem in the egg laying department.  Have you had a feel to see if there is an egg stuck or broken inside her?

Mine ended up with half her bits hanging out (prolapse), but with care she is now a very healthy happy chicken.

[ck2day]

hi, thankyou you all very much for the advice. Have had a look today, (Rudolph was not impressed!) and can find no sign of lice or mites. Over the last 24 hours her comb has shrunk and gone very pale, so have asked the OH to do the decent thing for her tomorrow. Feel sorry for her but i dont want to see her suffer and she has had a year or so as free range hen so dont feel too bad. My daughter isnt too sad to see her go, we have had a chat and she understands why, she is already asking for a Rudolph mkII!!!

thanks very much once again for the info. will keep visiting the site on a regular basis as I have become hooked on them. My OH thinks i'm mad!!

[Wildeone]

You are really close to Grannie Annie I thinkand she has chickens ready and waiting to go!!!!