Foul smelling bird

[murfmagic]

I have this chicken who is at least two probably three years old and I live in Ontario Canada where the temperature outside right now is -20 with the wind chill and it has been so for a couple of days. I am keeping my chickens in with a heat lamp turned on to help with keeping them warm and I also have 25 birds. Yesterday, when I went out to bring more water for them I found one of my older birds(the one I mentioned) lying on the floor of the coop and not moving. I assumed she was just really cold, so I brought her in the house and gave her food and water, but this morning she still isn't moving much. I'm now thinking she might be egg bound so I checked her vent and it was covered in feces and smelling really bad, so I washed the area really well, but there is some matter on her vent that I can't get off and I don't want to hurt her pulling it. It smells bad and is yellow in colour. It actually looks like egg yolk. I am worried she has broke an egg and some is still inside. She is not interested in eating or drinking that I can see. She looked at it but wouldn't take any of it. I felt for an egg and I don't feel any bumps, but I'm not sure what to really feel for and I'm wondering if anyone knows what might be causing the odor…broken egg or maybe an infection.

 

[ten chicks]

I have this chicken who is at least two probably three years old and I live in Ontario Canada where the temperature outside right now is -20 with the wind chill and it has been so for a couple of days. I am keeping my chickens in with a heat lamp turned on to help with keeping them warm and I also have 25 birds. Yesterday, when I went out to bring more water for them I found one of my older birds(the one I mentioned) lying on the floor of the coop and not moving. I assumed she was just really cold, so I brought her in the house and gave her food and water, but this morning she still isn't moving much. I'm now thinking she might be egg bound so I checked her vent and it was covered in feces and smelling really bad, so I washed the area really well, but there is some matter on her vent that I can't get off and I don't want to hurt her pulling it. It smells bad and is yellow in colour. It actually looks like egg yolk. I am worried she has broke an egg and some is still inside. She is not interested in eating or drinking that I can see. She looked at it but wouldn't take any of it. I felt for an egg and I don't feel any bumps, but I'm not sure what to really feel for and I'm wondering if anyone knows what might be causing the odor…broken egg or maybe an infection.

She may be either egg bound or an egg has broken internally. Do the warm water soaks again,if you feel she may be egg bound,give her a calcium or tums tablet(this often will help pass the egg)keep her somewhere dark and keep her calm. If an egg has broken internally,flush out the vent,use tepid water. Put on gloves and lubricant,do another cloacal exam,see if you feel an egg or broken piece of egg. If an egg has broken internally,she may need antibiotics,but seeing as you live in Canada also,it is almost impossible to get anything.

Have you looked up any information on vent gleet? Here is a link for vent gleet. She probably does not have vent gleet,but worth looking into.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/vent-gleet-aka-nasty-chicken-butt

Most important,keep her hydrated.

 

[murfmagic]

How do I give her the tums if she won't eat it. I crushed it up and put it in with her food and held it up for her to eat, she took a couple of bites and that was all. There's an odor coming from her and I just don't know what it is. I am going to look at that site right now. Thanks for your prompt reply.

 

[murfmagic]

Just checked out your link to vent gleet and I'm going to try the suggestions there. Her butt wasn't as nasty as the bird in the pic. but it just might be. Can't hurt anyway.

 

[casportpony]

I give human calcium pills orally... Just open beak, insert pill and massage into crop - takes 30 seconds or less.

-Kathy

 

[pwand]

You can get a powdered bag of antibiotics at your local feed store. Its the best that that we can do here in Canada. If she has vent gleet, than you can't do antibiotics. It almost sounds like a broken egg inside her. Did you try the flushing?

 

[ten chicks]

You can get a powdered bag of antibiotics at your local feed store. Its the best that that we can do here in Canada. If she has vent gleet, than you can't do antibiotics. It almost sounds like a broken egg inside her. Did you try the flushing?

What type of antibiotics are you able to purchase? All i can purchase without a vet is Tetracycline.

 

[casportpony]

FWIW, vent gleet can be bacterial *or* fungal.

-Kathy

 

[JesNflock]

Can you post pics?

 

[pwand]

What I get here is Oxytetracycline Hydrochloride 55mg/g and another one basically the same is Oxyetracycline HCL 62.5 mg/g just a bit stronger. Pet store also sells Fish Antibiotics as well.