Bread

[Joeboxer]

Have a sick chicken, 3rd one in the last year, two died. Poo is liquid, sticking to the feathers...she stays in a ball all day, eats a little not much. When i picked her up, water came out from the beak. This seems everytime my kids feed them bread?? Is bread bad for them?

 

[my sunwolf]

Bread is not bad for them as long as it is in moderation, but eating A LOT all at once can cause them to have an impacted crop. Remedies include feeding raw garlic juice, apple cider vinegar, and olive oil. You can also massage the crop to help the food move downward in their system. The problem is, diarrhea and fluffed-up-feathers are also symptoms of a vast array of other problems. So: is her crop (round mass towards the right side of the chest) full and very hard? Watery or spongy? Empty?

What were the symptoms of your other two chickens that died?

 

[willowbranchfarm]

Vent Gleet​

"Nasty Chicken Butt"​

The word “Gleet” derives from the Latin “glittus”meaning “Sticky” so “Vent Gleet” is “Sticky Vent”.​

Vent Gleet is a chronic disease of the cloaca, also called the "vent" ,"butt",
or as my 5 year old sons suggests "The Tweeter". Vent Gleet is also referred to as an avian yeast infection, cloacitis, thrush, mycosis and fungal Infection. Vent Gleet is mainly seen in laying hens and much less commonly in males. In waterfowl, it may be associated with lack of access to water in which to defecate while swimming.

Vent Gleet is not a contagious condition although secondary infections from Cloacitis CAN be contagious to other poultry, so its best to separate from the rest of the flock!

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SYMPTOMS:​

Vent Gleet is characterized by fouling of the feathers with poo, urates and exudate, (mucus) around the vent, and a sometimes an evil, nasty smelling discharge. Initially swelling and reddening of the mucosa is seen, progressing to ulceration affecting the vent and continuing a short distance into the cloaca, this may be covered with a yellow diptheritic membrane, another words, the infection may also cause a red and/or swollen vent which may bleed. Scarring may result with associated reduction in the elasticity and diameter of the cloaca, which may lead to problems with egg laying and even, in extreme cases, defecation. Other general signs of illness often include fluffed feathers, a hunched appearance, partially closed eyes, the head tucked under a wing, sitting or standing on the ground rather than roost.​

Did you know that Birds will attempt to hide their illness? A survival tactic, as predators may be more likely to target an obviously unfit individual. A bird which appears bright and alert when being watched may become huddled and fluffed up when it thinks it is unobserved, so observe wisely!

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Below are pictures of my Blue Cochin Hen, Fluffy's Butt. As you can see it's pretty "Nasty"







Did you know that a healthy cloaca is responsible for the passing of a round, tight, well-formed dropping that is capped with a neat white urine (urates) topping. This type of dropping is a reliable sign of good health in chickens? yup yup!

TREATMENT of VENT GLEET

SOAK, Wash and Dietary Changes....
ACV, YOGURT, EPSOM SALT, WHEAT GERM & Simple Mash DIET! details below..

Remember isolate infected bird from flock to prevent spread of any secondary infections and also because the red/bloody vent will attract the other hens to peck the area.

IF MORE THAN ONE BIRD IS INFECTED in the FLOCK have the droppings examined microscopically to help identify the type of cloacal infection (bacteria, parasite, fungus or yeast) by your Vet!

SOAK and Wash
Soak 15 to 20 minutes.... get a chair! Then wash vent feathers to remove any accumulated droppings around vent area EACH DAY using a disinfectant or EPSOM SALT. I used a little DAWN dish detergent because that "NASTY BUTT" can get like cement!

ACV
Natural Apple Cider Vinegar prevents yeast growth. Add 1.5 Tablespoons to 2 C. Water & repeat daily.

YOGURT
Natural pro-biotic of plain yogurt with live cultures. The infected hen should get a few tablespoons of yogurt a day until you see a good improvement. Another pro-biotic is acidophilus capsules found at the drug store. Open the capsule and pour the powder onto the feed once a day. I get mine at CVS for $5.
I mixed the yogurt, 1/4 C. store bought Wheat Germ and 1/4 C. simple layer mash and repeated these feedings 3x a day until improved! Approx. 5-7 days.

Even if you see improvement I suggest keeping it up for the 7 day treatment and soaking schedule!

EPSOM SALT ~ ORALLY ?? YES, ORALLY!
1 teaspoon of Epsom salt in 1 ounce of water ONLY one TIME TREATMENT!
Offer 1 of two ways (depending on your experience)

1.) Feed this ORALLY with a syringe DO NOT force down her throat and get it into her lungs, work slowly drops at a time. Epsom salt is a naturally occurring mineral, a combination of magnesium and sulfate.
2.) Isolate the hen in a holding cage and offer the epsom water in a coop cup. DO NOT give any other fluids until she drinks this dry.
Did you know that Epsom salt is also used internally, it detoxifies toxins if your chickens get into something toxic, It acts as a laxative, so if your hen’s system needs flushing, or if her crop is impacted or the digestive process seems blocked, this will gently move things along.
Fluffy had clear liquid "diarrhea" the day of the Epsom, this is OK!



You should see an improvement after 2-3 days and she should be able to join the rest of the flock after 7days.

If necessary you can spray to her vent with antiseptic, or I use Vetericyn "blue gel" spray.



If left untreated it can cause problems to the reproductive tract, leaving scar tissue internally or around the vent causing deformity. If the reproductive tract is damaged the hen may become infertile and if scar tissue deforms the reproductive tracts or vent the hen may be unable to pass an egg. As a result of this the hen could develop peritonitis which is often fatal.

Other suggested methods of treatment include:
APRALAN (Apramycin Sulphate), Apralan is an antibiotic used for pigs, but very effective in poultry with this type of infection.
It is POSSIBLE that antibiotics may be needed if it has caused a secondary infection!

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Back with her bud!


Physical examination of a bird or birds is a useful part of the investigation of a problem and may also be a part of routine disease control, e.g. annual health checks and examination of new birds entering a collection.


Disclaimer: This is the advice i would recommend based on my experience and research, however you should always follow the advice from your vet.


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• Sally Sunshine​

Hatching Eggs 101 ~ Guide to ASSISTED Hatching ~ Mushy Chick Disease ~ Cooler Bator ~ Vent Gleet/"Nasty Chicken Butt"
Pallet Hinkel Haus ~ PA Unite MAP ~ Hatched ~ PINTEREST Chickens
DONT FORGET VOTE BYC Member Award You can find me in: Incubating Diary-Notes Thread
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[Joeboxer]

Thanks so much for the information, I've only joined this site last week, and already like it.

 

[Joeboxer]

Basicly what is describe as Vent Gleet. I will have a closer look at her tonight when I get home.

 

[tashpotato]

Wow that is so informative! My girl that is ill is having messy problems, I might do similar to clean and help her.
I read not to get a sick chicken wet, is this true?
I would like to clean my girl though can I just use dish cleaner like fairy? I'm wondering what I have in the house already I can use