Any ideas on cleaning poo from feathers

how I can clean matted poop from one of my chickens vents.

Let me explain, we got three new chickens a few weeks ago, no over a month ago, and where they had been kept before wasn't the most erm hygienic of places.  The hen is over two years old and so quite developed with good full lengthy vent feathers and where she was earlier in her life was very wet, with no litter below the roost bars and I would say it had been a looonnggg time since below the bars had been cleaned.  So due to that she is very matted with big globs of hard poop stuck.  I can't imagine this is doing her much harm but I don't suppose it's any good for her either.

I was hoping that when she came to our ground where it is drier that she may bath properly and it'll start to sloth off, some of it is...the very end bits where they all get it and it comes straight off wi a good bath.  

So, my question is simple, is there anyway I can help her with it?  Or, will it come off in moult later in the year?  Some of it is quite high up, almost against her skin.

Thanks BB ~~jo~~

Hi Nicky - I did try that when we first got them cause I didn't want to track anything from his pen into mine.  But as they were effectivley commercial birds they are very difficult to handle, although I can atleast pick them up now with only a little bit of fuss.  as far a the cutting them goes I am trying to avoid that at all costs, I can only assume that much like cats when you cut their claws, that if you cut too close it would make them either bleed out or be more susceptable to an infection.  I don't know whether that would be true or not but like I say, a little wary of cutting things...I won't even clip there wings even tho they're flighty blighters lol.

BB ~~jo~~

Had to DAG one of my hens the other day. I put her on her back on a table and just gave the cacky feathers a squeeze (latex gloved) and the poop just crumbled off.

The hen did not get upset at all , suprisingly.

I find it's quite easy to wash of with some warm water with a little baby shampoo in.  I just wet the dirty area with a cloth dipped in the solution.  It washes of quite quickly

It would be fine, even a bit of washing up liquid would be OK

Just add a bit to the water as you would for washing up.

I had a pooey one the other day.....put her in a nice warm bath......the noise and fuss soon seems to stop once they are in there.....she stayed in quite a while without being pinned down!! 

Surprisingly they seem to like a nice bath, a little bit of olive oil rubbed into the feathers can also help to loosen some of the poo.