HELP! Is this vent gleet?

[sarahjane80]

This hen is almost 2 years old. Today I noticed that her whole back end was bloody so I took her out of the coop and soaked her in an Epsom salt warm bath. She has a large open sore under her vent that is open raw skin and her abdomen is swollen. She seems to be acting fine. Her vent itself doesn’t look inflamed or anything, just the skin right under it. Could she be pecking herself there or being pecked? Or could she be egg bound with the swollen abdomen? I have been getting fewer eggs the last few days so maybe she hasn’t been laying... This large sore concerns me though! HELP!

 

[sarahjane80]

Also, she did have some whitish watery poop with bright green bits in it. I fed my flock some greens the other day, but none of my other girls are pooping that color, or are having any similar problem.

 

[sarahjane80]

Here’s another pic without my hand in the way!

 

[Eggcessive]

That looks like flystrike to me. I would do another soak to her vent and look for any maggots. Flies will lay eggs in a wound or an injury, and maggots will infest the skin. They will bore through skin or get into the vent and kill a chicken if they are not removed. Have you seen any moving tiny worm-like objects? After soaking her bottom, dry it thoroughly, and apply plain triple antibiotic or nesopsorin ointment to it twice a day. Is she eating and drinking, and alert?

 

[Eggcessive]

Flystike may occur also if there is a poopy butt, and flies are attracted. Always a good idea to clean up dirty vents in hot weather. Here is some reading about flystrike with pictures:
http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/flystrike-in-backyard-chickens-causes/

https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...y-tale-with-graphic-photo-progression.712322/

 

[sarahjane80]

I think you may be right! That explains why is literally looks like a flesh eating disease! Yikes. I didn’t see any maggots at all though, but I’m thinking maybe the other hens saw them and pecked them off? And that’s why it was all bloody all over? I did put antibiotic ointment on it and will soak her again tomorrow twice and do the same. Should I give her an antibiotic? Also, would fly strike be the cause of her abdomen being swollen or is that an indicator of a more serious stage? I just clipped her nails over the weekend and looked her over...she didn’t have any of these symptoms then, but I did rinse off a bit of crusty poop. This makes sense. She IS alert and I’m assuming is eating normally. Thank you for your response!

 

[Eggcessive]

She could be swollen from something else going one in her abdomen that could have something to do with internal laying or egg yolk peritonitis, but it might be from this flystrike problem if they have eaten through the skin. It sometimes takes 2 or 3 baths to make sure the maggots are gone, and I would look carefully perhaps with a magnifying glass or reading glasses.

Do you have any antibiotics? Does she still lay eggs? Many people don’t like to use antibiotics if at all possible, and if you do, there will be a long egg withdrawal. Hopefully, the baths and ointment will help to clear up the infection.

Make sure that she continues to eat well. You may want to treat for flies in the coop with something like permethrin which is safe for chickens. Good luck, and let us know how she is doing. More pictures of her progress could be helpful to others.