HELP - Swolen abdomen and Puss

I've raised chickens for 7 years and between coccidiosis and respiratory issues I thought I had seen it all; apparently not! I purchased 8 hens from a local with old hens he was looking to get off of his hands. I've had these hens for about 5 months without any issue, yet I just noticed today this issue in one of the hens. Her abdomen is very red and swollen - it feels full of fluid like a water balloon. There is puss coming form her vent, and it smells awful! She hasn't been with the other chickens all day, and instead has stayed around the house. Other than staying from the others she behaves perfectly normal. I'll go out on a limb and assume this is an infection cause by some form of impaction (probably in the egg canal). I have a few questions that I could really use some help on.

Side note: I don't know if this has anything to do with it, but I did find a small egg with only egg whites in it a couple of days ago.

Is my diagnosis correct?

Have you treated this before?

Is there anything I can do to help this hen?

How likely is it that her infection is caused by a contagious bacterium? (Should I isolate her?)

There are a few picture below; fair warning, they're not pleasant to look at. It breaks my heart to see her like this, she is a very sweet and great hen.

Hi there - I'm not certain, but I think this may be vent gleet. Go to the learning center tab - healthy flock - chicken illness/diseases - vent gleet. It's a god article and sounds like what your hen has. Good luck!

Thanks! I'd never heard of that but by some research I think it sounds like that also. Any idea on how to fit it?

Update: I applied Ketocanozole (2%) in a warm bath as a shampoo, and then blow-dried the hen. The region around her vent is quite red and still very swollen. After the bath she went back to seeping fluids, they looked clear. Hopefully there will be improvement tomorrow, after all of my research tonight a warm bath was the only treatment I have found. If you know of anything else that might help, PLEASE let me know!

Silkie-Feet said:

Update: I applied Ketocanozole (2%) in a warm bath as a shampoo, and then blow-dried the hen. The region around her vent is quite red and still very swollen. After the bath she went back to seeping fluids, they looked clear. Hopefully there will be improvement tomorrow, after all of my research tonight a warm bath was the only treatment I have found. If you know of anything else that might help, PLEASE let me know!

Click to expand...

In reading through the article, the writer recommends bathing in Epsom salts to remove all the crusty/wet poop, which you have done. She also recommends some yoghurt - 2-3 tablespoons/day to change the acidity of the gut. If the area around the butt is red and sore she recommends putting on Blukote - this will prevent others hens from picking at her.
I would continue the treatment for 5-7 days and see if there is any improvement. Since it's caused by a fungal infection the Ketocanazole shouls work well, keep us posted!

I'm in college and only home on the weekends, my grandmother takes care of them throughout the week. I decided to cull this morning because she was getting worse, and my grandmother wasn't willing to wash her every day (She smelt so bad it would make you gag). Now, what can I do to prevent the infection in the other hens?

Thanks for the help so far!

Silkie-Feet said:

I'm in college and only home on the weekends, my grandmother takes care of them throughout the week. I decided to cull this morning because she was getting worse, and my grandmother wasn't willing to wash her every day (She smelt so bad it would make you gag). Now, what can I do to prevent the infection in the other hens?

Thanks for the help so far!

Click to expand...

It should not become a huge problem unless there was a concurrent 'other' infection. You can, however, put ACV in the water 1 tablesp/gall. for a few days and although birds can't digest yoghurt, you can make then a moist mash and add a couple of dollops of natural yoghurt.
The mash can be made out of their usual feed, just add water until it has become a mortar consistency. Apparently the key is to acidify the gut flora so it becomes inhospitable for yeasts & fungi.

Vent gleet can also be caused by a bacterial infection. Gleet does not always mean fungal infection.

-Kathy