Help! Hen has swollen/sort of bleeding vent and is limping

[Sassy Hen]

Walked into the coop the other day and saw my White Leghorn (she’s a couple months over 1 year) with a sort of bruised vent. She had a bloody egg that day too. Didn‘t think much of it because she was pretty much normal, with her crop bulging (she eats a LOT normally), so we put on some Neosporin near the vent. However this morning she wasn’t chasing the other hens when they had food. Now she is limping on her left foot and sitting down every couple steps. She’s at the top of the pecking order, but some other hens are pecking her butt feathers.

Doesn anyone know what to do? Already lost a hen like this, don’t want to lose another. Photos attached. Any help appreciated!

 

[IvysAnimals]

Do you think they might have any kind of parasites, injuries, or health issues? Maybe it was just a larger egg and had some blood vessels burst - READ ME!

 

[Sassy Hen]

Thanks for the reply! I don't think that's what happened though, as her egg was pretty normal-sized. She has laid bigger eggs with no problem whatsoever. She is doing a lot better, but what's confusing me is that she has feather stumps on her tail. Strange because she's the boss, top of pecking order.

 

[Sassy Hen]

Also she is limping. Any ideas on what to do about that?

 

[IvysAnimals]

Check for injuries and give her some vitamins / electrolytes and let her rest.. See from there if anything else happens...

 

[Sassy Hen]

We've been giving her Corid in her water, seems to be doing better and no longer limping. Laid a slightly bloody egg yesterday.

 

[Sassy Hen]

Checked on her this evening to see if she was OK to go back in the coop with her friends. Saw some weird bald spots- are they normal? Some healthy hens also have them- are they supposed to molt in spring?

 

[Wyorp Rock]

We've been giving her Corid in her water, seems to be doing better and no longer limping. Laid a slightly bloody egg yesterday.

Checked on her this evening to see if she was OK to go back in the coop with her friends. Saw some weird bald spots- are they normal? Some healthy hens also have them- are they supposed to molt in spring?

How is she doing?

What do you feed? Do you provide oyster shell free choice?

Look her over for lice/mites. Doesn't look like molt, just thinning feathers.
She does have some raised scales on the legs which may be an indication of Scaly Leg Mite. It would be a good idea to rub some vaseline into and under the scales of her legs at least once a week for several weeks, this will help smother the mites.

If her crop is not emptying overnight, then I would address that. This article will walk you through treatment.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...w-to-know-which-one-youre-dealing-with.73607/

 

[Sassy Hen]

She is doing a lot better!
We feed pellets mixed with a little bit of scratch, along with a little bit of oyster shells. They also get occasional treats (mealworms, worms/slugs, kitchen scraps, weeds, etc.)
I don't think she has a problem with her crop emptying. She eats a lot during the day, and the next morning before she eats it's pretty empty.
If she has leg mites, should we rub vaseline on the other hens too?

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I'm glad to hear she's doing better.

You can apply vaseline to the legs of your other hens too if you wish. It won't hurt them.