Hen with Vent closed off from feces

[StarLightFarms]

I have a Hen that I noticed had poop stuck to her feather and blocking her vent. She's been like this for a few weeks. I cleaned her up as soon as I could after seeing it, used warm water to remove all the poop. The vent was raw looking so I put some anitbiotic cream on it and when I let her go she had a poop so I thought she may have been messy and then it froze when the temperature dropped. Now she is still like this and the vent is closed off and the poop is dried to her. I was able to put some Vaseline on it last night to try and loosen some of it but we have an extra cold warning right now and I'm not able to do anything with her at this moment. Just wondering what could be causing this and how to help her out. The pictures aren't the best.

 

[nuthatched]

What is her diet? I'd clean her up and make sure she gets hydrated.

 

[StarLightFarms]

What is her diet? I'd clean her up and make sure she gets hydrated.

They are on grower crumble and free choice oyster shells. Not a lot of treats especially this time of year. She seems to be normal otherwise. I'd like to switch them to a whole grain type of feed rather that the pellets but my feed stores (I'm in Nova Scotia - Canada) don't carry them. And budget restrictions at this time.

 

[NatJ]

I think it is important to make sure she can poop, so any time her vent gets blocked you should at least get it clear enough for that. Getting her completely clean might not be worth the effort, but she does need to be able to poop.

Unfortunately, I don't have any ideas about what is causing the poop to stick this way.

 

[HollowOfWisps]

You mentioned Canada. Has been below zero recently where you are at in Canada? I have noticed that when it gets below zero and the eggs are freezing shortly after being laid sometimes also the poop freezes practically on its way out especially with the heavier feathered chickens.

 

[Razzlefrazzle]

If her vent is completely sealed off you need to soak her and clean it up asap. If she can't poop at all she will die within a day or two. You can bring her inside to clean her up and either blow dry her (most chickens really like this) or keep her in a crate overnight so her butt doesn't freeze. If it's been below freezing, the antibiotic cream might have frozen and contributed to blocking the vent. A picture of her cleaned up vent might be helpful.

Also a side note on feed options. I prefer pellets or crumbles to whole grain feeds because it's easier to ensure the birds are getting a balanced diet. Some chickens have been known to pick out only the bits they like from whole grain feeds which can lead to deficiencies.

 

[StarLightFarms]

You mentioned Canada. Has been below zero recently where you are at in Canada? I have noticed that when it gets below zero and the eggs are freezing shortly after being laid sometimes also the poop freezes practically on its way out especially with the heavier feathered chickens.

Nova Scotia, we currently have an extreme cold warning with temperatures at -35 C with the windchill. That's what I was thinking when I first noticed because our weather had turned colder, she's the only one.

 

[StarLightFarms]

If her vent is completely sealed off you need to soak her and clean it up asap. If she can't poop at all she will die within a day or two. You can bring her inside to clean her up and either blow dry her (most chickens really like this) or keep her in a crate overnight so her butt doesn't freeze. If it's been below freezing, the antibiotic cream might have frozen and contributed to blocking the vent. A picture of her cleaned up vent might be helpful.

Also a side note on feed options. I prefer pellets or crumbles to whole grain feeds because it's easier to ensure the birds are getting a balanced diet. Some chickens have been known to pick out only the bits they like from whole grain feeds which can lead to deficiencies.

I'll try to get her cleaned up. I feel terrible but she has been like this for more than a few days. She must've been able to poop somewhat because she is showing no signs of being under the weather otherwise. I thought I may loose her after I notice it happened again but she seems normal.

That's a good point on the feed, I never thought of that! I guess I got caught up with thinking the whole grains were better but they can be picky so I won't worry about switching it up.