Hens bleeding from vents

[Paul Wilson]

A friend has eight 6 month old hens, 6 Isa Browns and 2 barred rocks. All have been laying and eating well. But a few days ago he noticed blood on their bedding and found all 6 isa browns had bloody rear ends. One died. The 2 barred rocks are fine. No evidence (to him, at least) of pecking. All 6 were stricken at the same time.

 

[staceyj]

Hi there Paul,
Bloody as in wounded tissue?

Or
Bloody as in diarrhea ?

Because if it’s diarrhea my first guess is coccidiosis.

 

[Paul Wilson]

My f friend didn't see any evidence of pecking or other wounds. Is there any antibiotic treatment for coccidiosis?

 

[staceyj]

It must be dealt with immediately.
If your friend can take a collected poop sample to a nearby vet for a microscopic floatation that would be awesome. But treatment for it is also readily available if you have a tractor or gamer supply store nearby.

Corid is the most common product and is available at any store that sells feed.
It is a coccidiostat.

Here’s a good article from the BYC learning center about it.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/coccidiosis-how-to-treat-it.64386/

 

[Eggcessive]

I still think they were vent pecking each other. It is a habit learned quickly, and usually is a result of having overcrowded conditions, bored chickens who are not getting outside to roam, or from too little protein in the diet. Feeding a regular chicken layer of all flock feed is the minimum protein for chickens. Do you know what he feeds his chickens and how large their coop is? Sorry for your friend’s loss. Other causes of pecking are too much light and overheating.

If cocidiosis was the problem, he should have seen some bloody droppings. Here is some reading about vent pecking:
https://articles.extension.org/page...nibalism-in-small-and-backyard-poultry-flocks

 

[Paul Wilson]

thanks, this is a big help.

 

[staceyj]

Can your friend send you a picture of the inside of the coop and tell us the dimensions of it plus how many chickens he/she has?
...also what their diet is made up of?