Chicken butt problems - cant find any info online!!!!

[Eggcessive]

Not many of us take our chickens to a vet. That is what this forum is about, to help each other figure out what is wrong. Vets are great if it is something you can't handle, but most of us don't have a vet that knows much about chickens. I don't blame you at all for wanting to treat her at home. The antibiotics I suggested were not so much for her wound, but in case she has egg yolk peritonitis or internal laying, they may help treat infection in there. Many people who have hens with EYP will use penicillin or others, since E.coli and other bacteria may cause infection. Unfortunately, we can't get to many at feed stores that help that much. One treat I give to sick chickens is a small amount of whole fat buttermilk with a raw egg whipped into it, and poured over some whole wheat bread cubes. The buttermilk has probiotics and it is good for protein with the egg. They usually like feed that is wet with water too.

 

[Thegoodwife]

Henny was more perky this afternoon when I got home from work. I let her out and she began eating grass and scratching the dirt. She was out for about 2 hours before getting tired and I put her back in her cage. Still cleaning twice a day with warm water and salt. The leathery patch is still about the size of a golf ball and she favours the area standing with her tail sloped downwards. I keep expecting to come home and find her passed away but she keep living to fight another day!

 

[IttyBiddyRedHen]

Yay for Henny!! It sounds like things are going well so far.

 

[seminolewind]

Yay for Henny!! It sounds like things are going well so far.

X2!!!! I did clean my hen's and then coat with 3x antibiotic ointment as a barrier. I think you are doing well. It sounds like it has no alternative but to heal, LOL. If she should have EYP by chance, I personally feel that there's no way to cure it. Only the possibility of extending her life a bit. If she should have an enlarged abdomen that you can feel, chances are good that the amount cannot be reabsorbed. My hen had approximately 2 cups of dry yolk inside.

 

[Eggcessive]

Henny was more perky this afternoon when I got home from work. I let her out and she began eating grass and scratching the dirt. She was out for about 2 hours before getting tired and I put her back in her cage. Still cleaning twice a day with warm water and salt. The leathery patch is still about the size of a golf ball and she favours the area standing with her tail sloped downwards. I keep expecting to come home and find her passed away but she keep living to fight another day!

Are you able to rub away some of the leathery necrotic tissue during her daily epsom salt soaks? I'm glad she is still doing okay and now getting out. Kuddos to you on the good care you are giving her.

 

[Thegoodwife]

Its quite stiff so I cant really rub away the tissue. I have been trimming the edges as it comes off though. What kind of antibiotic cream could I use? I dont want to take off the dead skin completely because her poo still runs down the back and it would just infect an open wound. Not sure how/if I could even fix a dressing to it.

 

[Eggcessive]

Plain Neosporin, Triple Antibiotic, Polysporin which is the same, or Bacitracin are all good. Silvadene cream available from a vet is for burns, and would probably be good. Unfortunately debriding the leathery skin may be the only way to get the skin to heal. I would hate to do that myself, because of the pain.

 

[seminolewind]

Its quite stiff so I cant really rub away the tissue. I have been trimming the edges as it comes off though. What kind of antibiotic cream could I use? I dont want to take off the dead skin completely because her poo still runs down the back and it would just infect an open wound. Not sure how/if I could even fix a dressing to it.

I think you're doing a great job. I would be trimming the edges like you are, letting it heal. I know ripping the scab off works on some wounds, basically deep wounds that need to heal from the inside out.

I had the same dressing problem with my horse. She got a deep puncture wound on her upper inside leg that there was no way to bandage. So I used some thick goop or ointment, I would take the scab off , wash the wound, rinse with betadine, pat dry and put ointment on. Yes, it was dirty the next day, but the ointment was still under the dirt like a barrier. It healed really nicely.

 

[Thegoodwife]

Hello friends!!!

Henny is still alive. I have been putting her in the pen during the day and coming in at night. She has some of her vigor back but is keeping her bottom down favouring the area. It has reduced in size still and no fluid is below the skin. I am not being too harsh removing dead skin because I don't want the ammonia in her faeces to aggravate the area of a fresh wound. I have added a picture so you can compare for size. The area was as big as a tennis ball two fridays ago and now it is less than the size of a golf ball. I am feeling quite confident that she can make a recovery from this. Just one question though about her crop and the crop of others in my flock. Is there any home remedies I can give to stop sour crop and get them emptying a bit better? I've read adding vinegar to their drinking water can help?

 

[Thegoodwife]

Well I went to bring henny in for the night yesterday and had a look at her bum and it was fly blown again with maggots eating out several different areas around the original wound. I should have kept her inside instead of letting her with the flock so soon. I cleaned the wound this morning but by 3pm this afternoon there were hundreds more maggots spilling out of the new wound. She was lethargic and I thought she had died. Its only when I went to the crate to put her in the hole that I dug that I realized she was still alive. I had flashes through my head of just putting on my gloves and snapping her neck but for the life of me I cannot do it so I took her to the vet only half an hour ago and had her PTS. She was very skinny and stopped eating completely today. The wound and the maggots got too much for my poor girl, she put up a good fight though. I only wish I had kept her inside for longer and had the time to continue cleaning twice daily.

Thank you everyone for your support and comments and for not passing judgment. I did the best I could.