Hen has Dirty, bleeding rear

Hey guys, I'm quite worried about one of my hens. She is one of the original hens that I acquired when I moved into my home last year.. atvthat time she had a bald butt and it always had a tendancy to being bald but she never showed any other threatening signs (no real redness, swelling, or bleeding). Several months ago my dog got a hold of her a pulled all her tail feathers out. She was ok and everything grew back in, surprisingly even the bald area became all nice and fluffy. Here in NJ the winter can be very cold, with some odd nice days here and there.. today happens to be one of those. I have all my chickens roaming th backyard and I noticed a few drops of blood on my deck so I was looking at all of them to see if I can spot the source. I quickly noticed that Lucy (baldy butt) has some poo stick to her rear feathers and there's fresh blood dripping down from the area. This hen isn't one that I raised myself from the beginning so she isn't a hen that takes to handling.. at all really (aside from taking treats from my hands). I know the least that I can do for her is clean her rear end with some warm water.. problem is, I can't catch her and hold her still for it. I unfortunately am unable to do it today, but I can clean ge coop out tomorrow so she has a fresh clean place to sleep (it is getting pretty dirty as I can't clean it as often as I do in warmer weather). Does anyone have any advice on how I can help this hen?? I can't just leave her in that condition, but she's not going to cooperate with me very well to really bathe he area (plus she's already on to me from my attempt to pick her up just before). Even if all I do is clean it up, at least then I'd be able to see what is going on back there better and hopefully lessen the chance of infection..) any advice? Thanks in advanced!

Also thought I'd mention that her legs look sort of thicker/scarier than normal (she's a big hen and has pretty thick legs but to me they look kind of thicker and rougher)

At dark, when she roosts, you can easily take her off the perch and take her inside and give her a good examination.

Since you haven't been able to examine her closely yet, here are the things to look for. Look at the skin around the vent for crawling bugs. These would be lice. If you see them you need to dust her with permethrin.

Examine the vent for any yellowish crust with small scabs that may be ulcerating and bleeding. This could be due to vent gleet, a yeast infection inside and outside of the vent. It will require treatment. A little molasses in some applesauce will cure it. Follow up with some Greek yogurt to re-establish a good flora in her gut.

Examine her bald area on the butt for pin feathers that may be breaking off and bleeding. This isn't necessarily serious, but those suckers can really bleed. You may want to paint that area with Blu-kote. Also, if you see the yellow crusty blisters I described above, paint those with Blu-kote, too. It's an anti-fungal.

Examine the scales on her legs. It sounds as if she may have a case of scaly leg mite. The scales should be flush with her legs and feet, not lifting up. Mites too small to see infest the underside of the scales, causing them to pull away from the legs. If you see this, painting the legs and feet with castor oil is the remedy. It will smother the mites and allow the scales to regrow over the next few months.

After you examine her, if you find anything else that concerns you, take some photos and come back and post them. We can address additional issues then.

Thank you so much! I was thinking that I may have to wait til she's roosting at night.. although I DID find the actual source of the blood I was seeing and it actually isn't coming from her.. it's her (what I think is anyway..) sister. I noticed her toe bleeding and I went for a closer look and it look as if the tip of her claw is actually missing! I took some pictures of it. What can I do to help her? Do you think it is just the nail, would that regrow?? If it's actually her toe, what can I do for her? I'd also have to wait til dark when she's roosting, but can I clean and bandage it to keep it clean and covered? My poor girls! (These two are what I believe to be the oldest of the original flock) this one however is the largest and always seemed to be the strongest, leader of the flock.. she's a lovely hen but also not raised by me from the beginning so not willing to be handled. This is her
And this is her foot that I just realized




also, this is Lucy (the one with the dirty bum)


I just took these photos a moment ago

That is a closer up photo of Fluffys foot

She's torn off her nail. That's common. I had a Brahma hen who tore off all her nails because she was so heavy. No, they don't grow back. The toe heals pretty quickly. You could clean it with soap and water or peroxide, but no need to bandage it.

While you're examining the chickens, pay attention to their foot pads. If you see any black scabs and especially swelling, it will need treating for staph infection. Come back and I'll tell you how to treat it if you find that.

azygous said:

She's torn off her nail. That's common. I had a Brahma hen who tore off all her nails because she was so heavy. No, they don't grow back. The toe heals pretty quickly. You could clean it with soap and water or peroxide, but no need to bandage it.

While you're examining the chickens, pay attention to their foot pads. If you see any black scabs and especially swelling, it will need treating for staph infection. Come back and I'll tell you how to treat it if you find that.

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Thank you for your help! I will give them both a look over.. hopefully it's nothing more. I appreciate it! Now I just hope they won't put up too much of a struggle once I get my hands on them! (Any advice on that part? Lol)

If you have an old thin towel, wrap the chicken tightly burrito style with her wings tight to her body. That will subdue her and you can do anything you need to do.

azygous said:

If you have an old thin towel, wrap the chicken tightly burrito style with her wings tight to her body. That will subdue her and you can do anything you need to do.

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Ahh the old kitty burrito trick we use In the animal hospital! (I'm a vet tech and his how we have to examine a lot of cats that aren't too fond of it lol)

ChickieChickAv said:

Ahh the old kitty burrito trick we use In the animal hospital! (I'm a vet tech and his how we have to examine a lot of cats that aren't too fond of it lol)

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Although now it'll be the chicken burrito.. (wait a minute.. that's an actual food.. nevermind)