Hen has a raw spot below vent

[Kathy Golla]

Hello,

I have a medical situation I would love to get opinions on.

I have a Delaware hen that has a raw spot about 3 inches under her vent. It is red and irritated, but not bloody.

Over the last probably two months we have noticed she has a messy butt. She is a white hen, so its noticeable, but my Buff has a messy butt too so we havent thought much of it. I have noticed that during the day the hen is very busy in the pen. She eats everything. We have DLM in an uncovered pen, and it has been wet so recently she has enjoyed hunting for worms in the DLM. She eats dirt, leaves, even flake shavings if they are soft and broken down.

She also eats her pellets like a hog during the day, but I can see she has loose stool during the day, I think because cause of all of the forage and compost shes eating. She fills up on pellets for the night before bedtime, and her stools are firm from the nighttime under the roost in the morning. Three of my six hens have been tested for worms recently and they do not have worms so I dont think its that, esp since her stools completely firm up at night.

So I am feeling like she has this loose stool from digging in the DLM and digging down to and eating the composting layer and any new litter im putting in the DLM. And the loose stool is irritating her, sticking to her feathers and pulling and she is pulling her feathers out herself trying to relieve the discomfort.

I put some Aquaphor on the raw spot tonight. I didnt want to spray any Vetricyn on it for fear it would burn.

I dont think its vent gleet, her vent looks fine, no discharge, no smell. She has firm stool at night, her butt feathers arent wet.

I dont think its feather picking, she is top hen and NO ONE touches her. I have a cam in the coop and at night (at least when I check several times) no one is pecking her rump. I dont see any of her feathers at all in the coop under the roost.

Does anyone have any insight? What can you do for a hen who has messy butt?

 

[rebrascora]

I'm sure you are right about why she has the bald spot. The skin will either be irritated by being soiled or from repetitive preening due to the soiling. I'm not totally convinced the foraging in the DL is causing the loose stool though. Have you checked her crop function particularly if she is eating the DL material and also her abdomen for any abnormal swelling? Do you know if she is laying regularly?
How old is she?

I can't advise on the products you mention as I am in the UK and not familiar with them but I would use a greasy ointment ....maybe a nappy rash ointment or coconut oil as that will protect the skin and also help prevent more poop from sticking. Swelling between the legs or around the vent is often responsible for a hen soiling herself. Usually the swelling is due to a heavy layer of fat (obesity) or a reproductive disorder, so when you see soiling of the vent area, swelling is the first thing to check for.

 

[Kathy Golla]

Hi Rebrascora thank you so much for the reply.
She absolutely lays regularly. Like 5 days a week. She is almost one year old. We have a buff Orpington that weighs 6 lbs, the Delaware is much thinner than her.
Ok that is interesting about the swelling. We gave her a huge once over today and I checked her vent very well for vent gleet and it seemed fine. I can check it again and between her legs tomorrow.
She absolutely has normal stools at night below the roost after she fills up on pellets before bed. So one would think if it was an intestinal problem it would be all the time.
Her messy butt seemed to coincide with it starting raining in her run. Her loose stools during the day look like digested leaves and compost dirt.

 

[rebrascora]

You may be right then.... It may just be her diet. The best you can do is grease it up to prevent further irritation and soiling and just keep an eye on her.

 

[micstrachan]

Do they have grit either in a dish or in the run? If the leaves aren’t digested and her poops look good after pellets, maybe she needs grit to help with the foraging?

 

[Kathy Golla]

Hi there micstrachan
My comment wasn't correct...it doesn't look like undigested leaves, it looks like digested leaves.
Yes, They have a whole bowl of grit available.