- Mar 12, 2017
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Hi all,
I've got a 1.5-year-old Rhode Island Red, Marigold, with a bloody vent problem, and I need some help. I got her along with six other chicks, and despite all hatching on the same day, she developed way before they did and began laying way before the others did, though laying her first few eggs made her kind of sickly. Otherwise, she's been fine.
On March 8, I went to let my chickens out for a couple of hours of free time as I do every evening, and I saw a little blood in their run. Initially, I thought there had been in some kind of fight. I lost one who was fairly high on the pecking order to a coyote a a couple of weeks ago, and they've all been a little unsettled since. However, Marigold didn't come right out. When she finally did, I noticed blood dripping from her backside. She was walking as if she was scared, another chicken came and pecked her when she saw her, and she ran and hid behind a bush. I got back there and tried to examine her, but she ran out. She hung around the back patio near their coop for a while before going back inside the coop.
My initial thought was that one of the others attacked her. I cleaned her up as well as I could (she's feisty and I had no help) with water and antimicrobial spray), and put her in a separate little cage I have with fresh straw, some feed and a few berries, and some water with electrolytes and probiotics.
The next day, I went out to check on her and noticed she had bled a little more. I also noticed her poop was watery. But she'd eaten some of the feed and berries, which I figured was a good sign. Again, I cleaned her up a little bit, and I cleaned out the cage and refreshed her food and water. I also gave her some calcium.
Yesterday, I noticed she was moving around better. All bleeding had stopped. Her poop was no longer watery, and she was eating and drinking more, so I left her in the cage and didn't bother her too much, but I did notice she looks a bit swollen and she kept moving her tail up and down as if she was trying to get something out of her. I also got a better look at her backside, and now I'm thinking the bleeding is coming from her vent (I first thought it was external). There was a little bit of fresh blood today but not nearly as much as there was before. Just a drop.
Aside from all this, she looks and acts fairly normal. Her comb looks pretty healthy. She tries to run and fly when I mess with her, and she is eating and drinking. She is maybe more subdued than normal (and spends most of her time on the roost), but I can't tell if that's because she's wondering why she's stuck in this smaller cage or because she is having an issue. She is also no longer laying. Could she be egg bound? Would she have survived this long (4 days) if she was? What else can I do for her? I was going to try the warm bath, but it's very cold here now and I didn't want to make her sick, plus I feel like that would stress her out. Should I add a little dust bath to her cage and see if that helps her relax?
I have her next to the big coop, so she can see inside without being pecked. I also have tarps on top of her cage to try to keep her warm/dry. I had a light on for warmth, but I realized that might not be a good idea, so it's off now. Tomorrow I may see about taking her to a vet, but in the meantime, can I do anything else to help her improve? It's hard not knowing exactly what's wrong with her.
Thanks for any help! (That's her in the picture - took it yesterday)
I've got a 1.5-year-old Rhode Island Red, Marigold, with a bloody vent problem, and I need some help. I got her along with six other chicks, and despite all hatching on the same day, she developed way before they did and began laying way before the others did, though laying her first few eggs made her kind of sickly. Otherwise, she's been fine.
On March 8, I went to let my chickens out for a couple of hours of free time as I do every evening, and I saw a little blood in their run. Initially, I thought there had been in some kind of fight. I lost one who was fairly high on the pecking order to a coyote a a couple of weeks ago, and they've all been a little unsettled since. However, Marigold didn't come right out. When she finally did, I noticed blood dripping from her backside. She was walking as if she was scared, another chicken came and pecked her when she saw her, and she ran and hid behind a bush. I got back there and tried to examine her, but she ran out. She hung around the back patio near their coop for a while before going back inside the coop.
My initial thought was that one of the others attacked her. I cleaned her up as well as I could (she's feisty and I had no help) with water and antimicrobial spray), and put her in a separate little cage I have with fresh straw, some feed and a few berries, and some water with electrolytes and probiotics.
The next day, I went out to check on her and noticed she had bled a little more. I also noticed her poop was watery. But she'd eaten some of the feed and berries, which I figured was a good sign. Again, I cleaned her up a little bit, and I cleaned out the cage and refreshed her food and water. I also gave her some calcium.
Yesterday, I noticed she was moving around better. All bleeding had stopped. Her poop was no longer watery, and she was eating and drinking more, so I left her in the cage and didn't bother her too much, but I did notice she looks a bit swollen and she kept moving her tail up and down as if she was trying to get something out of her. I also got a better look at her backside, and now I'm thinking the bleeding is coming from her vent (I first thought it was external). There was a little bit of fresh blood today but not nearly as much as there was before. Just a drop.
Aside from all this, she looks and acts fairly normal. Her comb looks pretty healthy. She tries to run and fly when I mess with her, and she is eating and drinking. She is maybe more subdued than normal (and spends most of her time on the roost), but I can't tell if that's because she's wondering why she's stuck in this smaller cage or because she is having an issue. She is also no longer laying. Could she be egg bound? Would she have survived this long (4 days) if she was? What else can I do for her? I was going to try the warm bath, but it's very cold here now and I didn't want to make her sick, plus I feel like that would stress her out. Should I add a little dust bath to her cage and see if that helps her relax?
I have her next to the big coop, so she can see inside without being pecked. I also have tarps on top of her cage to try to keep her warm/dry. I had a light on for warmth, but I realized that might not be a good idea, so it's off now. Tomorrow I may see about taking her to a vet, but in the meantime, can I do anything else to help her improve? It's hard not knowing exactly what's wrong with her.
Thanks for any help! (That's her in the picture - took it yesterday)
