Are these worms or something else?

[KristinKH]

I got these from the back end of a 2 year old Whiting True Blue. She's been acting off the last few days - sleeping apart from the rest of the flock, slow to come out of the coop in the mornings and slow to come for food and treats, and a very messy back end. Are these worms or something else? The poop on her back end looked pretty normal - a big gob, soft, dark, not bloody, not particularly smelly - but she did poop out some clear watery liquid twice while I was cleaning her up (about 15 or 20 minutes total).

 

[azygous]

Worms have segments and are symmetrical. That is lash material otherwise known as chicken pus from the oviduct. It's a sign of bacterial infection. However, it's chronic and by the time pus is being expelled from the oviduct, it's usually too late to treat the infection.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

Are these worms or something else?

I agree with the first poster that it's lash material. First link is a description second one is possible causes.

https://the-chicken-chick.com/salpingitis-lash-eggs-in-backyard/

https://the-chicken-chick.com/causes-of-lash-eggs-salpingitis-by/

 

[KristinKH]

Worms have segments and are symmetrical. That is lash material otherwise known as chicken pus from the oviduct. It's a sign of bacterial infection. However, it's chronic and by the time pus is being expelled from the oviduct, it's usually too late to treat the infection.

That's the 3rd one of 5 Whiting chicks I got 2 years ago. One died from EYP last fall, one we put down yesterday, and now this one.

You said this is lash material. I've read people saying that lash eggs have staph bacteria in/on them. Should I treat everything that's come in contact with anything coming out of this chicken's vent like it has staph and clean and sanitize the heck out of it all?

 

[azygous]

Bacteria is everywhere. It's why we wash our hands a lot. Staph likes to enter through cuts. E.coli likes to find ways to get inside your intestines and stomach. It's why we wash out hands a lot.

Wash your hands a lot, and you don't need to jump though so many hoops. You don't need to do anything extra for the chickens except try to maintain a tidy run and coop.

 

[KristinKH]

Are her eggs unsafe to eat? She's not on antibiotics. If it's too late to treat the infection I don't see the point of stressing her out by giving her antibiotics.

 

[azygous]

Salpingitis is very hard to treat, but if the hen is very young and on the chance you may have caught it earlier than later, you may try to treat it. But it's your call.