Help! Poopy butt turns into lethargic chicken with red swollen bottomside...

[MillRIver]

Hello All!

We've had 8-16 chickens for the past 4 years. We got a variety of breeds. We've been very lucky with predators and also lucky with illness.

We've had 4-5 chickens get poopy but over time. Most have recovered after a cleaning with no associated lethargy. We've had two, both original Australorps get it really bad. After we cleaned them with warm water, give them yogurt, keep them warm, and made sure they were drinking, they became really lethargic, their bottoms get red & swollen and after 3-4 weeks we have to put them out of their misery.

We thought it was perhaps localized to the Australorps. But now, one of the original New Hampshire Reds has the same thing! We don't want this to end the same way!

Pictures are attached. We haven't seen mites or lice (but perhaps we don't know what we are looking at!). We haven't vaccinated or wormed or anything. Just layer pellets, fresh water daily, good kitchen scraps, and time out in the yards every few days. Any advice would be appreciated! Thanks!

 

[MillRIver]

Any advice would be most appreciated! Our little lady is getting more & more lethargic. Her butt is sagging and she seems to be heading in the wrong direction. Thanks!

 

[unkadan]

my first guess would be lice, I just treated my birds,

good info and lots with pics here,,,,check the blogs archives

http://www.hencam.com/henblog/2010/05/of-lice-and-hens/

 

[terryg]

First of all, your hens have lice -see my blogpost with an explanation and photos here:
http://www.hencam.com/henblog/2010/05/of-lice-and-hens/

However, the lice are a symptom of illness - it's likely your hens aren't dust bathing because they don't feel well -rather than the cause of the problem. Many health issues, from ascites to cancer to peritonitis, can cause the sort of squishy sagging butts that you describe. In some cases, what I call the "spa cure" fixes it (baths, epsom salt, TLC) but some problems can't be fixed.

Lethargy is often the sign of an internal infection, either an impacted, infected reproductive tract, or peritonitis. Antibiotics might help, but not if she is severely diseased.

Sometimes messy bottoms are due to vent gleet - a yeast infection - but you don't get the swollen abdomen with that.

Sorry that I can't be more definitive - but unless the chicken dies and a necropsy is done it is all guess work. I've guessed wrong several times, and only found out the true cause of the symptoms with a necropsy.

 

[unkadan]

or maybe here

http://www.hencam.com/henblog/2008/09/how-i-saved-eleanor/

lots more in the archives

 

[terryg]

or maybe here

http://www.hencam.com/henblog/2008/09/how-i-saved-eleanor/

lots more in the archives

I'm glad you're making use of my posts! As far as Eleanor goes, she has lived with a red butt for years now. However, hers is a mysterious skin ailment and after a brief period when her bottom was swollen and hot, she's not now carrying around excess fluid. In her case, some TLC and the "spa treatment" worked wonders. But I still can't put a label on what she had!

 

[FiFiChooky123]

Please help!!!! My beautiful pet chicken, Henrietta, is really sick! She has been like this for a while but has gotten really bad over the last few days. She is really slow and just lies around all day, has lost so much wieght, isn't eating and drink as much no matter how hard we try, she hasn't layed eggs in a year cos she is old and doesn't have any mites or lice!! Sorry for the distugsting pictures...

 

[SummerChick]

Have you tried sitting her in warm water and cleaning her bottom really well? Can use a blow dryer to dry afterwards.

 

[Eggcessive]

Cut off the dried crusty feathers around the vent and bathe her bottom, dry it. She may have a bad case of worms or a fungal infection called gleet. Giving her a good wormer like Valbazen or Safeguard, then put her on probiotics in her water. Plain yogurt will do for the probiotics until you get some. If her vent area is reddened or has white patches, I would use some yeast infection cream such as Monistat or a sulfur based cream Nustock from the feedstore. Many people use apple cider vinegar in the water also.

 

[FiFiChooky123]

I gave her a nice warm bath yesterday which ate enjoyed but then she got really bad to the point where she wouldn't move. We really thought we'd loose her. So thankful when I woke up this morning that she was back to how she was when I posted. She still isn't well but she was on deaths doormat. I'm going to try the yogurt and apple cider vinegar. Thankyou for your help