Hen is balding near vent, skin red and inflamed

[HenriettaPizzaNolan]

Hello everyone. My beautiful Golden Comet, Henrietta, seems to have an issue near her vent. It's all bald down there, and the skin seems all blotchy and red. There is no discharge and it does not seem that she has been getting pecked (she is #1 or 2 in pecking order). I got her about 2 months ago from an animal sanctuary and she is presumed to be 3-4 years old. I noticed the bald spot with some redness but didn't think much of it until lately when it seemed worse. She seems otherwise healthy and her energy level, appetite, and poops are just fine. She is very petite compared to my other Golden Comet, but she may just have a small frame.

She lays every single day, but the eggs do have a brittle shell and often break and get eaten by the chickens (I know this is lack of calcium, and probably age too, but trying to get her to eat her calcium is a whole other issue for another day).

Does anyone know what this could be? I initially thought vent gleet but there is no discharge or poop sticking in the area.

See photos. These don't do it justice just how bright red and blotchy it is. I can try to get better ones later but this is all I have right now.

Thank you!

 

[Lady of McCamley]

Three thoughts (and a caveat...pictures never seem to do real justice to the actual physical inspection):

1. Do you have a rooster? This could be mating damage. Many of my rooster's favorite hens have a similar pattern.

2. In one of the photos, I am seeing some dirty feathers at the bottom towards the chest. Look closer into those. That might be your sign of some vent gleet or diarrhea from worms.

3. I am seeing what looks on a photograph to be white clumps at the base of some feathers. Without actual up close physical inspection, I can't tell you with certainty, but look closely. Those could be egg clusters from lice. If she has a lice infestation, which is very itchy, she may be pulling her feathers out. You often can see the straw colored little beasts crawling. If it looks like little black pepper dots crawling, it is northern fowl mite.

Those are my immediate guesses if there is no swelling or inflammation in the abdomen and she is otherwise healthy.

LofMc

LofMc

 

[HenriettaPizzaNolan]

Three thoughts (and a caveat...pictures never seem to do real justice to the actual physical inspection):

1. Do you have a rooster? This could be mating damage. Many of my rooster's favorite hens have a similar pattern.

2. In one of the photos, I am seeing some dirty feathers at the bottom towards the chest. Look closer into those. That might be your sign of some vent gleet or diarrhea from worms.

3. I am seeing what looks on a photograph to be white clumps at the base of some feathers. Without actual up close physical inspection, I can't tell you with certainty, but look closely. Those could be egg clusters from lice. If she has a lice infestation, which is very itchy, she may be pulling her feathers out. You often can see the straw colored little beasts crawling. If it looks like little black pepper dots crawling, it is northern fowl mite.

Those are my immediate guesses if there is no swelling or inflammation in the abdomen and she is otherwise healthy.

LofMc

LofMc

Hello! I appreciate your thoughtful response! I'll address what you said in order of the numbers you wrote so it makes sense.

1. Nope, just hens!

2. I should have mentioned, just before this photo, she was dustbathing in my large flowerpot filled with soil (I gave up on growing anything in there at this point ) and ran over to see what I was dumping in the compost pile without shaking off the dirt. That may be the dirty feathers you are seeing, but I will check this out in the morning just in case.

3. I will also check for this in the morning. Thank you! However, I do wonder if what you are seeing is just her "underfluff" that is white. But it won't hurt to check for lice/mites. Haven't noticed her itching excessively though.

Makes me wonder what it really is! I appreciate the suggestions. If I rule out your suggestions in the morning, I will try to get better pictures and post them.

 

[HenriettaPizzaNolan]

Thought:

I'm new to chickens, but could balding in that area just be something that happens with age? I'm really not sure how old she is but I was told she was "older" when I picked her out.

 

[Lady of McCamley]

Thought:

I'm new to chickens, but could balding in that area just be something that happens with age? I'm really not sure how old she is but I was told she was "older" when I picked her out.

It *could* be she is simply thinning...or going into an unseasonable molt.

Being older and a hybrid layer (genetically selected for over production), she will have some aging signs sooner than other birds.

Do check that her abdomen isn't squishy, fluid filled (it didn't look like it in the photo...but again photos are so tricky on the internet). These hybrid layers often get reproductive cancers or have liver failure getting what is known as ascites, or fluid in the abdomen.

But it just looks like molting...or lice/mites to me.

LofMc

 

[HenriettaPizzaNolan]

UPDATE:

So I flipped her on her back and inspected the area closer. I didn't see signs of mites or lice.

However, here are my other observations:

1. Not sure if she was scared or what, but I felt/saw a milky-looking liquid drip onto my leg when I was inspecting her. Could this just be from her being frightened? Do chickens pee? Or could this be some sort of discharge?

2. The actual bald spot is 3-4 inches below the actual vent. I felt the skin on the bald spot and it is shiny, red and white blotchy, and is flaky/peeling in some spots. Unfortunately that area did seem a little swollen. I picked up my other Golden Comet to feel her in that area and compare. It was hard to tell, but Henrietta's did seem swollen.

3. The vent itself was mildly moist (seemed normal to me - a novice). I did see what looked to be dark, dried poop below it. But I assume that is somewhat normal?

4. I don't think she is molting. She is still laying eggs daily and this is the only spot that lost feathers.

With that said, what seems most likely to you guys? I am totally at a loss here. This is all new to me.

Please help if you can because she is my most beloved hen.

 

[Lady of McCamley]

Hmmmm....swelling wouldn't be good, but right now there is nothing determinable.

Milky liquid isn't normal either. Hens don't pee. They have urates, the white stuff, in the poo which is how they eliminate ammonia. Not sure what the "liquid" would be...that might indicate vent gleet...a yeast infection in the tract. This mild would be treatable by supplying her with yogurt (about a tablespoon full of good quality, unsweetened, plain) and spraying her vent area with tinactin or lotrimin athlete's foot spray. About a week or two of that is generally all to fix mild vent gleet.

I must warn you, my Golden Comets were wonderful birds, but they all "played out" and succumbed to earlier deaths due to ovarian issues, very common with this hybrid due to the fact they are bred to over produce. Typically they became unthrifty at about age 3 or 3 1/2 dying by age 4.

Hopefully this is just a bit of mild vent gleet. That would be my best guess answer.

LofMc

 

[HenriettaPizzaNolan]

Hmmmm....swelling wouldn't be good, but right now there is nothing determinable.

Milky liquid isn't normal either. Hens don't pee. They have urates, the white stuff, in the poo which is how they eliminate ammonia. Not sure what the "liquid" would be...that might indicate vent gleet...a yeast infection in the tract. This mild would be treatable by supplying her with yogurt (about a tablespoon full of good quality, unsweetened, plain) and spraying her vent area with tinactin or lotrimin athlete's foot spray. About a week or two of that is generally all to fix mild vent gleet.

I must warn you, my Golden Comets were wonderful birds, but they all "played out" and succumbed to earlier deaths due to ovarian issues, very common with this hybrid due to the fact they are bred to over produce. Typically they became unthrifty at about age 3 or 3 1/2 dying by age 4.

Hopefully this is just a bit of mild vent gleet. That would be my best guess answer.

LofMc

That is very helpful! Thank you!!!

It's sad to hear that GCs have so many health issues. Mine are such wonderful birds with great personalities. I guess this means I should really try to appreciate my Comets while they are still around, as they may not live as long as the others.

Can this treatment with the spray you suggest hurt my hen if she does not in fact have vent gleet? I just want to be sure before I buy it. Would putting some neosporin or vaseline on the inflamed skin be okay too? I don't think I will spray that part with the spray since it is further from the vent.

 

[Lady of McCamley]

The spray won't hurt if she doesn't have it.

You can try some vaseline. I think it will merely be a dirt attracter, though.

It could be some simple loss of feathers that is harmless. We can hope.
LofMc

 

[HenriettaPizzaNolan]

Thanks! I appreciate all your input. And so does Henrietta!