Hen is balding near vent, skin red and inflamed

[Fintechie]

The spray won't hurt if she doesn't have it.

You can try some vaseline. I think it will merely be a dirt attracter, though.

It could be some simple loss of feathers that is harmless. We can hope.
LofMc

I notice one of my 18-month old barred rocks having the same bald area. Seems getting worse. And her poop is brown squishy. Appreciated if you suggest how I should address it.

 

[HenriettaPizzaNolan]

I notice one of my 18-month old barred rocks having the same bald area. Seems getting worse. And her poop is brown squishy. Appreciated if you suggest how I should address it.

Hi there.

Sorry this is happening with your chicken! I don't want to scare you because I'm not sure your chicken is having the same issue, but mine went downhill pretty fast shortly after this thread, and she passed away. Then my other Golden Comet followed in an identical manner about a month later. Is your chicken laying normal eggs? Both of mine laid soft shell and/or lash eggs in the lead up to their death. The bald spot showed a lot sooner in the first chicken, but in both it swelled a lot at the end and seemed to be filled with a liquid. I think they both had salpingitis, along with other miscellaneous reproductive issues because they were those high-production layers. With that, there's not too much you can do, although I think I prolonged my second chicken's life a little with a week-long dose of avian antibiotics.

Anyway, I'm no pro but I think the best course of action for you is to rule out the easier stuff first. Check for lice. Then check the vent for an egg that is stuck (put on a glove and gently put a finger about 2 inches into vent). Those are two easy things to rule out without doing anything invasive. I would also check poop for worms, but they can still have worms even if you can't see it in the poop. There are articles on this site about knowing the signs of worms, so check those out and if it seems like that's the issue, you may need to deworm the flock. But if you rule all of this stuff out, your chicken may be having some reproductive issues like mine was. I never truly figured out the cause. I just think by the end of their life, their reproductive system was a mess from all that laying. We ended up humanely culling both of them because they were no longer walking, eating, or drinking at the end and seemed to be in a lot of pain.

But this may not be what's going on with yours so I don't want to scare you. I'm just updating you on what happened. Is your hen showing any other symptoms? How is her energy level? Egg laying? Shell quality?

 

[Fintechie]

Hi there.

Sorry this is happening with your chicken! I don't want to scare you because I'm not sure your chicken is having the same issue, but mine went downhill pretty fast shortly after this thread, and she passed away. Then my other Golden Comet followed in an identical manner about a month later. Is your chicken laying normal eggs? Both of mine laid soft shell and/or lash eggs in the lead up to their death. The bald spot showed a lot sooner in the first chicken, but in both it swelled a lot at the end and seemed to be filled with a liquid. I think they both had salpingitis, along with other miscellaneous reproductive issues because they were those high-production layers. With that, there's not too much you can do, although I think I prolonged my second chicken's life a little with a week-long dose of avian antibiotics.

Anyway, I'm no pro but I think the best course of action for you is to rule out the easier stuff first. Check for lice. Then check the vent for an egg that is stuck (put on a glove and gently put a finger about 2 inches into vent). Those are two easy things to rule out without doing anything invasive. I would also check poop for worms, but they can still have worms even if you can't see it in the poop. There are articles on this site about knowing the signs of worms, so check those out and if it seems like that's the issue, you may need to deworm the flock. But if you rule all of this stuff out, your chicken may be having some reproductive issues like mine was. I never truly figured out the cause. I just think by the end of their life, their reproductive system was a mess from all that laying. We ended up humanely culling both of them because they were no longer walking, eating, or drinking at the end and seemed to be in a lot of pain.

But this may not be what's going on with yours so I don't want to scare you. I'm just updating you on what happened. Is your hen showing any other symptoms? How is her energy level? Egg laying? Shell quality?

Thank you so much for sharing. Sorry for your loss. She is active and acting normal. Her rear end appears like this for some time now. I just noticed her poop today - I do get concerned if their poop is squishy. Not sure if she is laying now but no soft-shell. Ino signs of worm and I dewormed the flock a few months ago. I also feed them apple cider vinegar now and then. So I will keep a closer eye on her.

Btw, I lost my favorite hen a month and half ago. I still tear up when I think of her… very hard.

 

[HenriettaPizzaNolan]

Thank you so much for sharing. Sorry for your loss. She is active and acting normal. Her rear end appears like this for some time now. I just noticed her poop today - I do get concerned if their poop is squishy. Not sure if she is laying now but no soft-shell. Ino signs of worm and I dewormed the flock a few months ago. I also feed them apple cider vinegar now and then. So I will keep a closer eye on her.

Btw, I lost my favorite hen a month and half ago. I still tear up when I think of her… very hard.

Yes, it really is hard. The one I originally posted about on this thread was my favorite. I only got to have her with my for about 5 months before she went. But I am still glad I had her.

For your hen, I would keep an eye out for reproductive issues such as salpingitis or egg binding. I never quite figured out the cause of the balding/inflamed abdomen on my chicken, but when her other reproductive issues got worse, so did the balding/inflamation, so I suspect it was connected in some way. This is a completely unprofessional opinion, but just observations I made because no one seemed to know what was wrong with my hen. I hope your girl pulls through! I would feed her some plain yogurt to promote healthier poops. See if that helps at all.

Keep me updated!

 

[Lady of McCamley]

I notice one of my 18-month old barred rocks having the same bald area. Seems getting worse. And her poop is brown squishy. Appreciated if you suggest how I should address it.

I'm sorry you are concerned for your hen, and the lost of your first one.

The poop honestly looks like normal cecal. Every 5th poop or so is this orangey loose stuff to clear out the pipes, so to speak.

Bare bum has lots of reasons from very minor (molting to breeding damage) to more concerning (vent gleet...a fungal infection) to tragic (ascetis...or fluid build usually from liver or heart failure).

It can also be from feather picking due to parasites.

If she is well. Eating, drinking, and mostly firm poops with cecal only every third or so, she is probably fine. Check for bugs. Check that her tummy doesn't feel squishy (ascites). Check to see if her vent looks irritated and messy (vent gleet).

My ideas.
LofMc

 

[Fintechie]

I'm sorry you are concerned for your hen, and the lost of your first one.

The poop honestly looks like normal cecal. Every 5th poop or so is this orangey loose stuff to clear out the pipes, so to speak.

Bare bum has lots of reasons from very minor (molting to breeding damage) to more concerning (vent gleet...a fungal infection) to tragic (ascetis...or fluid build usually from liver or heart failure).

It can also be from feather picking due to parasites.

If she is well. Eating, drinking, and mostly firm poops with cecal only every third or so, she is probably fine. Check for bugs. Check that her tummy doesn't feel squishy (ascites). Check to see if her vent looks irritated and messy (vent gleet).

My ideas.
LofMc

Yes she is active and everything else looks normal. I learned something from you that poops of periodic nature. Thank you. Will try to check out other factors.