Bloody Vent...Four Days Later...What Else Can I do?

[bald Rooster]

I have some game bird crumbles I will feed her a small amount of it .Im already doing the rest. she is in a small cage in my feed room no window but some light does come in.
Thanks for your help.

 

[boskelli1571]

I have some game bird crumbles I will feed her a small amount of it .Im already doing the rest. she is in a small cage in my feed room no window but some light does come in.
Thanks for your help.

No problem - please keep us posted,

 

[bald Rooster]

Update
I did not look at her vent today. But she acts the same, Eating and drinking and trying to look at her vent. I only feed her a small amount of game bird crumble. No egg

 

[boskelli1571]

Update
I did not look at her vent today. But she acts the same, Eating and drinking and trying to look at her vent. I only feed her a small amount of game bird crumble. No egg

Sounds promising, but just to please me - take a peek at her vent??? pretty please

 

[Kiki]

Hi everyone! Sorry for the delayed response, but on top of the sick chicken, I've been dealing with a busted hot water heat, some kind of stomach bug myself, and a few other crazy things. But I do have an update, and thanks for the welcomes and concern and advice!

I took her to the vet yesterday, and he says she was likely egg bound, and the tissue around her vent was ruptured at some point. He couldn't be 100% about exactly what was going on internally because of the inflammation, so we're trying to get that under control first. Anyway, he examined her and said her color is great and she's very healthy, so he thinks her prognosis for the tissue healing is good, but he couldn't promise me she'd be 100%. He also said she could require surgery, but right now he's leaning toward not needing it. He gave her a bath, trimmed her feathers in that area, and gave her an injection of antibiotics + anti-inflammatory meds, plus sent some home to keep her on for a couple of weeks. He also suggested keeping her mostly in the dark for a while, while she healed, and to bring her in out of the cold (we've been having nights in the 20s and freezing rain and snow flurries) because it can suppress her immune system.

So, she's living in a little 3-foot cage in the basement for now. I've got a space heater going down there, and she tends to sleep closest to it. I hated to separate her - she was actually kind of the head hen, and I'm so afraid they will not let her back into the gang. She's always been aggressive, even since they were babies, and yesterday when I had her cornered to put her in the carrier to go to the vet, she puffed herself up like she was going to fight me! Ha! I don't really handle them much either. I'm sure I'll have questions about re-introducing her. I'm definitely going to have to get some of the blue stuff, because she's got a little bald butt now!

Some other things he suggested included giving her a warm sitz bath occasionally while she's healing, using towels instead of straw for bedding until she heals, upping her protein intake (he told me to buy her some starter crumbles to eat while she heals), and giving her some kind of oil in her food. I read today that coconut oil is good for chickens? I told him I give her yogurt and electrolytes, and he said that would help the medication work. Oh, and to keep the area clean with the anti-microbial spray. So, I'm just going to keep an eye on her for now and keep trying to get the medication into her (that's fun!) If she's fine after she finishes her meds, she can go back outside, and if she starts bleeding again, swells up, or acts sickly, I'll take her back to the doctor, and we'll go from there.

She was exhausted when I got her home yesterday, and she didn't eat or move much, so I gave her a little corn, which I knew she would eat. Today, she's a little livelier and has been eating the feed and got up on her little roost. I am going to try to sit with her a few times throughout each day so she can get a little light for eating/drinking, plus she seems to enjoy the company.

I do wonder if there's anything I could do to keep her from being bored. Even when she was in the tiny cage outside I'd catch her eating bugs and weeds growing under it or watching the birds and squirrels or the other chickens. I don't want her to get too depressed. Plus, she's used to dust bathing and having free time and digging for worms and all that good stuff.

I'm glad you kinda got an answer from the vet.
Hopefully the meds will have her back to her normal self in no time.
Could you hang some kale for her to peck at or a cabbage or apple to keep her busy?

 

[boskelli1571]

Hi everyone! Sorry for the delayed response, but on top of the sick chicken, I've been dealing with a busted hot water heat, some kind of stomach bug myself, and a few other crazy things. But I do have an update, and thanks for the welcomes and concern and advice!

I took her to the vet yesterday, and he says she was likely egg bound, and the tissue around her vent was ruptured at some point. He couldn't be 100% about exactly what was going on internally because of the inflammation, so we're trying to get that under control first. Anyway, he examined her and said her color is great and she's very healthy, so he thinks her prognosis for the tissue healing is good, but he couldn't promise me she'd be 100%. He also said she could require surgery, but right now he's leaning toward not needing it. He gave her a bath, trimmed her feathers in that area, and gave her an injection of antibiotics + anti-inflammatory meds, plus sent some home to keep her on for a couple of weeks. He also suggested keeping her mostly in the dark for a while, while she healed, and to bring her in out of the cold (we've been having nights in the 20s and freezing rain and snow flurries) because it can suppress her immune system.

So, she's living in a little 3-foot cage in the basement for now. I've got a space heater going down there, and she tends to sleep closest to it. I hated to separate her - she was actually kind of the head hen, and I'm so afraid they will not let her back into the gang. She's always been aggressive, even since they were babies, and yesterday when I had her cornered to put her in the carrier to go to the vet, she puffed herself up like she was going to fight me! Ha! I don't really handle them much either. I'm sure I'll have questions about re-introducing her. I'm definitely going to have to get some of the blue stuff, because she's got a little bald butt now!

Some other things he suggested included giving her a warm sitz bath occasionally while she's healing, using towels instead of straw for bedding until she heals, upping her protein intake (he told me to buy her some starter crumbles to eat while she heals), and giving her some kind of oil in her food. I read today that coconut oil is good for chickens? I told him I give her yogurt and electrolytes, and he said that would help the medication work. Oh, and to keep the area clean with the anti-microbial spray. So, I'm just going to keep an eye on her for now and keep trying to get the medication into her (that's fun!) If she's fine after she finishes her meds, she can go back outside, and if she starts bleeding again, swells up, or acts sickly, I'll take her back to the doctor, and we'll go from there.

She was exhausted when I got her home yesterday, and she didn't eat or move much, so I gave her a little corn, which I knew she would eat. Today, she's a little livelier and has been eating the feed and got up on her little roost. I am going to try to sit with her a few times throughout each day so she can get a little light for eating/drinking, plus she seems to enjoy the company.

I do wonder if there's anything I could do to keep her from being bored. Even when she was in the tiny cage outside I'd catch her eating bugs and weeds growing under it or watching the birds and squirrels or the other chickens. I don't want her to get too depressed. Plus, she's used to dust bathing and having free time and digging for worms and all that good stuff.

Glad things are looking better. Do you have a spare TV? Some chickens love to watch TV - who knew?

. Updates please!

 

[bald Rooster]

I will look in the morning as its very dark here now.

 

[SeaSea47]

Glad things are looking better. Do you have a spare TV? Some chickens love to watch TV - who knew?

. Updates please!

Thanks! That's a good idea. I'm also thinking of moving her to a glassed in porch now that the weather is warming up (highs in the 60s and 70s). I can put a space heater out there, and keep a blanket or tarp on her most of the day to keep the sunlight at bay. I think she's really depressed in the basement, because she just sits on the roost all day and has barely eaten, which is making administering her medication a tad difficult. She did eat some corn last night, but I had to hold the plate up to her. She's not acting sickly, though, so I think it's mostly mental. And from what I can tell, she's healing. I've actually got a YouTube video of nature sounds playing for her now, and she seems more relaxed, so I'm going to get my dad to come help me move her cage to the porch when he gets home from work. She can also see/hear the other chickens that way, plus she won't be so isolated, because I work on the porch, and my dogs (she loves the dogs) will be in and out throughout the day.

 

[boskelli1571]

Thanks! That's a good idea. I'm also thinking of moving her to a glassed in porch now that the weather is warming up (highs in the 60s and 70s). I can put a space heater out there, and keep a blanket or tarp on her most of the day to keep the sunlight at bay. I think she's really depressed in the basement, because she just sits on the roost all day and has barely eaten, which is making administering her medication a tad difficult. She did eat some corn last night, but I had to hold the plate up to her. She's not acting sickly, though, so I think it's mostly mental. And from what I can tell, she's healing. I've actually got a YouTube video of nature sounds playing for her now, and she seems more relaxed, so I'm going to get my dad to come help me move her cage to the porch when he gets home from work. She can also see/hear the other chickens that way, plus she won't be so isolated, because I work on the porch, and my dogs (she loves the dogs) will be in and out throughout the day.

Excellent idea! Chickens are very social creatures so 'solitary' could do a number on her head...I'm sure you will have a 'lap chicken' in no time at all!

 

[bald Rooster]

Vents still bleeding and moving in and out she didn't eat her crumbles today and is still pecking at her rear. she doesn't appear to be in any distress right now.
But I'm going to close this discussion now.
Thanks for your advice.