Clogged vent?

[BigBen]

Hello all, i have not been on in quite some time, but sure are glad your still here.
One of my RIR hens started acting strange a few days ago...hanging out in the nesting box...roosting on the floor, staying close to the pen when let out to free range.
I noticed yesterday that her backside was loaded with poop. today I put on a rubber glove and pulled at it and there is a bunch of it and it smells real bad. I probed around a little and really couldnt identify her vent. I am wondering if she has a buildup that is keeping her from pooping and leying eggs. I felt her crop and there was food in there and I watched her eating bugs, but I can tell there is something wrong. I have 9 RIRs and 1 barred rock. the girl im talking about is one of my largest and oldest at 3 years old. any info would be apreciated.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Quote:
you will be surprised how much a chicken likes a nice warm bath. and thats probably about the only way you'll get her completely clean. after you soak her in a nice warm bath, blow dry her on low. Then take some sharp sissors and trim those feathers around her vent so this won't build up again. I trim my girls feathers and it not only helps to keep them cleaner but you can see if anything is amiss back there better. Good luck and let us know how she is doing. If she is having gut issues you might want to feed her some kind of probiotic, good plain yogurt or buttermilk mixed into her feed or kefir. thats would get some probiotics into her.

 

[rebrascora]

Don't suppose you got photos of the yellow masses? I agree with @Eggcessive that it is likely salpingitis and she is impacted with lash egg material and that is what you saw. Unfortunately it is often too late by the time you see problems like this. There is usually swelling below the vent caused by the impacted oviduct and this means that poop snags on the feathers below instead of falling clear. If you can giver her a good clean up..... a warm Epsom Salts bath soak and take a photo of her back end whilst the feathers are wet, it may help for us to be able to see, to advise, but it is likely that the best you can do is keep her comfortable and end it for her when her quality of life is unsustainable. Often the impaction of lash egg in the oviduct will build up to the point that it presses on and constricts the gut. The bird will then get backed up and you may notice an enlarged crop or the bird will go off her food as it cannot pass through her system. She may start to get thin and lethargic as food cannot get through her system to provide her with nutrition and she will effectively starve or she may die of toxic shock as a result of being unable to pass waste.
Reproductive disorders like this are sadly far too common in chickens and unless caught very early, there is not a lot of hope. There are some god avian vets who will perform a "hysterectomy" and remove the impacted oviduct but it is risky and runs towards if not past the $1000 mark or hormonal implants can be given every 3-6months to prevent them from ovulating and making the problem worse but if the bird is already badly impacted in the oviduct, it may be too late for that. In the early stages, it may also respond to antibiotic use but it will usually only buy the bird time rather than cure it.

I'm sorry to be so negative about her chances of surviving this. Some birds do beat the odds but that may be because they are misdiagnosed rather than cured of Salpingitis. Of course it could be something else but reproductive disorders or cancerous tumours are the commonest causes of these problems.

Seeing some photos of the bird and her poop may help us confirm or suggest another diagnosis. Also knowing how old she is and her breed and what you feed her might be relevant.

 

[buckboy101]

You can take a damp cloth and wipe her vent to clear it up but just dont be to hard on it

 

[dawg53]

Soaking her rear end in warm water should loosen it up, otherwise use scissors to cut it out.

 

[Anianna]

Pasty butt at 3 years old? Is there a known cause for it in older chickens?

 

[BigBen]

I picked her up yesterday and pulled at it and the smell made me gag. she seemed so unhappy. tonight she ventured around more that she has all week. how do you soak a chickens butt? they hate water. I thought maybe i would have to cull her, but my wife said she would hold her if i wanted to try and clean her up.

 

[cellochck]

I'm having the exact same issue with one of my girls! I'm very interested in any ideas people have.

 

[EggGardener]

I'm having the same issue w/one of my three-year old sex-links. I'll be watching this thread, and I'll post again if I have any news.

 

[EggGardener]

I took a closer look at my chicken and she has a prolapsed vent. Off to search for advice.