We have a sick barred rock (8 months old)with a white pasty bottom/backside whose feathers are severely matted with lots of thick white pasty poop (? Not sure what the substance is). We noticed about a month ago that she had poop stuck to her that was not blocking her anus. We were in a frigid snap and thought maybe it just stuck to her on the way out. (A friend said she has similar problems with hers in the frigid weather- below 0 most of the time). We had a warming spell and the hen seemed to be better. I though it had cleared up. Yesterday I noticed her whole back side was covered in think white pasty gunk. I brought her in the house and cleaned her off as best as I could. When I was cleaning her I noticed what looked like a hard black clump on her anus. Thinking it was poop that got stuck, I tried soaking it off using warm water and paper towels- however it seems to be part of her and not poop. It is as if it is a dark scab over what would be a wound. Her comb is straight and still red. Her beak seems to be whiter than the other hens. She seems to be eating, drinking and acting normally. Im not sure if her abdomen is firm as it is hard to tell with winter gloves- it is about 18 degrees outside right now. She didnt seem to feel different from the other chickens. We are working on setting up a special pen for her in the house to see if we can clear up her troubles. She is one of 16. I just went out to inspect the rest of the flock. The Black sex-link and Rhode Island Reds seem to be fine but two other of the 5 Barred Rocks look like they have some poop stuck to them similar to what she had originally.
Am I dealing parasite or bacteria?
with a prolapsed anus?
Is it the food? We are using Poulin Layer pellets- local natural feed produced in Vermont
Why only the barred rocks?
Thanks for any insight
Am I dealing parasite or bacteria?
with a prolapsed anus?
Is it the food? We are using Poulin Layer pellets- local natural feed produced in Vermont
Why only the barred rocks?
Thanks for any insight