Hen with a pasty butt looking problem

[missu]

Hi everyone,

There is a particular hen I got in my coop who seemed fine the other day (eating with everyone, etc), but ever since yesterday she has stayed in the coop and hasnt gone out with the rest of the coop.

I came closer to her and I was able to touch her, though she tried to run away a little, and inspecting her backside I noticed something very wrong. Her vent seems very swollen almost like a wad of poop blockage stuck right at the opening of her vent with some more poop stuck on her feathers back there. It also smelled a bit bad. She seems to be constatly trying to pass something but cannot tell what. When I did see her poop something, it looks whitish green and runny. She walks around with her tail down and almost haunched, which I thought it was strange the other day she looked a little haunched with her tail down but didn't think about it a lot since she was eating and drinking with the others..

I also noticed her trying to fly up to a cubby, but seemed to not be able to do it and stays on the ground.

I have been reading on what this could be, and it seems it could be perhaps a fungal/yeast thing? What do you all think and how can I treat this poor girl

I tried taking pictures, but the one I got is not real clear and she doesn't sit still at all. I am going to try again getting a picture here.

*Edit:More detail

 

[Michael Apple]

If it is a warm day outside, you can give the bird a soak and wash in a receptacle you can fill with enough warm water to submerge her backside while standing. If it isn't a warm day, do it inside. Use regular shampoo (Baby shampoo works) and mix some in the water before setting the bird in it. You'll have to hold the wings from flapping and splashing water all over. Let her stand in it a few minutes and she'll relax. You'll likely want to wear rubber gloves to scrub and fluff the caked manure around the vent. If the hen is egg bound, this will also help the muscles relax to hopefully pass the egg. Rinse the bird, wrap a towel around her and let the water absorb. Keep the bird in a warm area until dry if it is cold outside.

If it is vent gleet, it would smell very strong and sores of yellow, necrotic tissue often appear around the vent. 1/4 teaspoon of copper sulfate per gallon water for 2-3 days flushes the yeast out. At the same time you need to keep the vent clean and apply Miconazole cream (Monistat) to any affected tissue around the vent. It is often customary to swab some gently in the vent with a gloved finger. This vent cleaning should be done daily until symptoms are gone. After you complete the copper sulfate treatment, run vitamins-electrolytes powder and Probios soluble powder in the water for 3 days.

If it isn't vent gleet, it could be a form of enteritis or even coccidiosis. The only way to know for sure is to have a fecal sample tested by an avian vet. Enteritis (the Greens) is very common after rains and during Spring. Treatment is Bio-Mycin or LA-200 injection of 1cc in the breast muscle for standard breeds, 1/2 cc for Bantams, for 3-5 days. I have a rule and that is if I don't see symptoms improve in 2-3 days with an antibiotic, it is time to change treatment or seek advice from someone knowledgeable like a vet. If it is coccidiosis, you should dose 2 tsp Corid 9.6% solution per gallon of water for 5 days.

Good luck. keep us posted.

 

[missu]

Thanks for the information Michael.

I have an update. To my horror upon closer examination while I was taking pictures (and you can't see it in the pictures) that there seemed to be something going on around her vent and saw what appears to be a wound with tiny maggots in it. The wound is located above the vent about 2-3 cm up. I took her and rinsed the area and on the wound. I sprayed some peroxide water mix onto the wound to try and get rid of the maggots, but there some still lodged in the wound. From what I noticed it didn't seem to go further, more of a external wound. I tried inspecting the vent area with rubber gloves and couldn't see any poop in the entrance, but I thought I felt a piece of hard something, maybe poop but not sure (seemed flat and looked off whitish clay colored, not sure how big but I dont think it was really big). I was afraid to try to pull it out since I didn't want to cause damage. Dont know if its related or not to the problem.

Anyway, it seems like there is a mass of something somewhere but I dont know how to get it. I'm not sure if it is inflammation or what. There seemed to be a tiny amount of blood inside the vent...

I ended up putting a glob of polysporin on top the wound where the maggots were to try and smother them and help the wound, syring her some water and took her aside in her own personal box outside the pen. I am really worried because I also discovered she is very skinny so she must not have been truly eating enough, I feel horrible because I had no idea. It just confusing because she was out and about and only yesterday she started hiding...


Here are some pictures, perhaps they can help with the diagnosis?












Edit: spell check and additional information

 

[Michael Apple]

It doesn't take long for fly eggs to hatch on necrotic tissue. The digestive problem was happening before that and could very well be vent gleet. You need to be sure and flush all the maggots out of the wound. The bird needs to be hydrated otherwise they lose the interest in food. If the bird is drinking on its own, add some vitamins-electrolytes to the water. If the bird isn't drinking, use a syringe or an eye dropper to hand feed it to her. Be careful not to aspirate the bird (get water in the lungs). Just take your time. Encourage the bird to eat. You can water down a teaspoon of yogurt or buttermilk and mix it in some feed. Let me know if the bird eats and drinks and what the droppings look like. If I can't help, we'll find someone who can.

The mass you mentioned? Is it located inside the vent or outside? Describe it. The tissue in the vent is very delicate, so the bleeding could be from irritation/ cleaning the area.

 

[Michael Apple]

I forgot to mention that baby wipes, or paper towels soaked in Betadine used to clean the area around the vent. Most people don't have Oxine or Vetricyn, so I can't tell you to use that as a cleanser. Chlorhexidine is a good wound cleanser too. Just be easy around the vent.

 

[missu]

Hey again,

So I went to the store to pick up some hibiclens (which is the[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif] chlorohexidine you mentioned) and the miconazole cream along with some pedilalyte. I did another cleaning and saw the wound has sealed up, so assuming those maggots were all gone. I cut away the feathers with the poop as it was a mess and found a few more maggots hidden in some feathers with that poop. This time all those nasty things are gone. [/FONT]

[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]I tried taking another look in her vent and seems the skin is swollen in there (mass of bulging skin inside) . But I found a couple pieces of meaty looking stuff that was immediately at the entrance and down of the vent. It almost smelled like old egg? [/FONT]

[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]The skin in general right around the vent is angry looking and there are few small lumps around to the bottom right.[/FONT]

[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]As for the masses I noticed they seem to be internal (under the skin) but are bumps that I can see. I noticed on her left side there is a sizeable mass that is almost oval looking and sticks out a bit. She has passed stool so the good thing is she must not be plugged up.[/FONT]

[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Bad thing is she doesnt eat or drink on her own. I gave her some pedialyte but havent gotten the copper sulfate because I am not sure where you find that or what brand/type to use exactly? I wanted to ask you how do I go about that? I dont want to give her the wrong things.. [/FONT]

[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Last night I tried to feed her some, and she took a couple quick pecks at some yogurt, but then stopped. I then sat there and kept trying to get her to eat it, but she didnt get much. I am very worry about how she has gotten weak fast and has stopped eating and drinking on her own. I don't know how to get norishment in her body asap. I am going to have to check her again to see if I can get her some more to drink and feed her more yogurt.....[/FONT]

[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Here are the pictures of the backside with some clearing, you can see the strange masses/bumps visably on her skin in these pics:[/FONT]



Here is the large oval like lump on her side, my two fingers are pointing right at it here.



As you can see her vent is raw looking and is sticking out way too much.



You can see the lump to the bottom right that is right next to the vent. I think I noticed some tiny ones too. The wound that had the maggots is directly above the vent. You can also see the comparison of her left side versus her right side, which sticks out abnormally to me.



Her poop pretty much has looked like this. There was some green stuff in another with white.



And here are those gross looking meaty pieces..
Edit:By the way, when i took that stuff out she was bleeding again a little out her vent. I seems really irritated :/

 

[Michael Apple]

You did a good job on the vent cleaning. You can see how irritated the flesh became in a short amount of time. With problems like vent gleet, the shape of the vent can change as tissue becomes necrotic. That is why it is important to keep the area clean and medicated while healing. The growth could be a tumor, a result of irritation, I'm not sure, even though your pictures are quite clear. It is possible she could not pass an egg, the intestines could not pass waste, and an infection developed. Those meaty pieces could be scabs, or what is lining of the reproductive tract that is sometimes expelled (look up "lash"). Enteritis or vent gleet could be a secondary infection due to internal laying. We need some more help with this problem, since it could be a few things. I suspect vent gleet. There is a particularly strong smell I would recognize which is not possible under these circumstances. I think we need some other old hands at this and I'll find them. Be patient and keep trying to encourage drinking eating by hand. I'll get some more assistance.

 

[dawg53]

I agree that it's vent gleet, advanced stage. Here's an excellent link with treatments.
http://www.birdhealth.com.au/flockbirds/poultry/diseases/vent_gleet.html

 

[Michael Apple]

I agree that it's vent gleet, advanced stage. Here's an excellent link with treatments.
http://www.birdhealth.com.au/flockbirds/poultry/diseases/vent_gleet.html

I remember reading this veterinary information from Dr. Marshall in Australia on vent gleet before linked off of Avian Web. Some folks have claimed to cure it with a medication known as Medistatin which contains Nystatin, an antifungal. It can be mixed in feed or water, and crop fed with a feeding tube of appropriate size attached to a syringe. Here's a thread with some good examples:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/722041/how-to-t-feed-a-sick-chicken-and-give-subcutaneous-fluid

 

[casportpony]

Hey again,

So I went to the store to pick up some hibiclens (which is the[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif] chlorohexidine you mentioned) and the miconazole cream along with some pedilalyte. I did another cleaning and saw the wound has sealed up, so assuming those maggots were all gone. I cut away the feathers with the poop as it was a mess and found a few more maggots hidden in some feathers with that poop. This time all those nasty things are gone. [/FONT]

[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]I tried taking another look in her vent and seems the skin is swollen in there (mass of bulging skin inside) . But I found a couple pieces of meaty looking stuff that was immediately at the entrance and down of the vent. It almost smelled like old egg? [/FONT]

[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]The skin in general right around the vent is angry looking and there are few small lumps around to the bottom right.[/FONT]

[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]As for the masses I noticed they seem to be internal (under the skin) but are bumps that I can see. I noticed on her left side there is a sizeable mass that is almost oval looking and sticks out a bit. She has passed stool so the good thing is she must not be plugged up.[/FONT]

[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Bad thing is she doesnt eat or drink on her own. I gave her some pedialyte but havent gotten the copper sulfate because I am not sure where you find that or what brand/type to use exactly? I wanted to ask you how do I go about that? I dont want to give her the wrong things.. [/FONT]

[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Last night I tried to feed her some, and she took a couple quick pecks at some yogurt, but then stopped. I then sat there and kept trying to get her to eat it, but she didnt get much. I am very worry about how she has gotten weak fast and has stopped eating and drinking on her own. I don't know how to get norishment in her body asap. I am going to have to check her again to see if I can get her some more to drink and feed her more yogurt.....[/FONT]

[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Here are the pictures of the backside with some clearing, you can see the strange masses/bumps visably on her skin in these pics:[/FONT]

...............................................................snip..........................................................

Bring inside and place in warm area with access to a heat source and food/water. Once warm, she needs to be tube fed fluids at 30ml/kg every 6-8 hours. Once hydrated, you should tube feed baby bird food. I'd probably also add some corn syrup to her fluids to get her sugar levels up.