Is this vent gleet or just a poopy butt? (Gross pics warning)

[Mother-Hen-Michele]

I wonder why only this one hen is having issues with it though. No one else has had digestive issues that I've noticed. Maybe she's just eating more of it than the others?

I was thinking about that... and I wonder if she is the top-hen and maybe getting more of it, or the bottom hen and getting the worst of it... likely as the others said she was just weaker, so it impacted her first/more.

 

[KaseySnow]

I was thinking about that... and I wonder if she is the top-hen and maybe getting more of it, or the bottom hen and getting the worst of it... likely as the others said she was just weaker, so it impacted her first/more.

She is kinda in the middle of the pecking order. Maybe her system is just more sensitive to bad food? I did notice a mildly poopy butt on our cochin the other day, but she's as perky as ever and I think she cleaned it all off already, so maybe nothing abnormal.

The Welsummer has still got yellowish, runny poop as of this morning, and still hasn't fluffed her bum feathers back up from the bath I gave her. I bagged up the old food yesterday morning and it's getting disposed of tomorrow. I got her to eat some probiotic yogurt yesterday. Also made the Moro's carrot soup as suggested to encourage recovery, but she only had a few bites. The other hens ate some of it though.

She slept in a nesting box last night instead of up on the roost (I wonder if it was to keep her butt warm since we got snow) but she wasn't the last one down in the morning today, so that's good. I saw her eating some pellets as well, so I'm hoping to see improvement over the next few days as temperatures rise. I guess if I don't see improvements I'll know the feed was not the culprit and will be back to square one.

Still waiting to hear back on when the last time they were de-wormed was. The new volunteer coordinator is going to talk to the vet too.

 

[KaseySnow]

They ate most of the carrot soup today! One of the other hens also made this poop.

I'm assuming it's a yellowish brown because of the carrot soup, but is that a couple of tiny white worm eggs I see in the poop? The objects I am referring to are kind of in the middle/right of the more solid part.

Bonus picture of the Welsummer (I have named her "Raisin") eating carrot soup like a good girl. That dish was full yesterday!

 

[Mother-Hen-Michele]

I guess if I don't see improvements I'll know the feed was not the culprit and will be back to square one.

Still waiting to hear back on when the last time they were de-wormed was. The new volunteer coordinator is going to talk to the vet too.

it might take her a little more time and cuddling to recover... give her time

and yourself too... love and patience.

 

[Mother-Hen-Michele]

"Raisin" eating carrot soup like a good girl.

Yeah Raisin !

eat the blues away !

 

[LaFleche]

They ate most of the carrot soup today! One of the other hens also made this poop.

I'm assuming it's a yellowish brown because of the carrot soup, but is that a couple of tiny white worm eggs I see in the poop? The objects I am referring to are kind of in the middle/right of the more solid part.

View attachment 2627433


Bonus picture of the Welsummer (I have named her "Raisin") eating carrot soup like a good girl. That dish was full yesterday!
View attachment 2627436

This poop looks like a worm poop to me and I would definitely recommend to deworm them all.

There is no harm in deworming them, if done correctly. But there is a lot of harm caused by worm infestations.

 

[KaseySnow]

This poop looks like a worm poop to me and I would definitely recommend to deworm them all.

There is no harm in deworming them, if done correctly. But there is a lot of harm caused by worm infestations.

Thanks for the input! I've been staring at loads of chicken poop pictures since yesterday trying to figure out if it's a normal cecal poop, or a worm poop.

 

[LaFleche]

For a faecal float test collect several poops from different chickens for three consecutive days and have them analysed.

But: Worms will release their eggs in intervals (mostly 1-3 weeks) depending on the species. This means you can have an "all clear" result from the vet, but the chickens are still infested and discard worms the followings days.

 

[KaseySnow]

Sad news. Raisin was really thin when I picked her up on Thursday. I could feel her keel bone very clearly with no padding around it. The vet came by the coop this weekend to look at her and recommended euthanasia, so she was put down.

Kinda bummed that we never got to figure out what was wrong with her, but so far no one else is showing any signs like hers. I am wondering if it was possibly kidney failure, which I've read can also cause poop that looks like hers. I am going to still see whether we can do some kind of fecal lab work to gauge whether or not the rest of the flock has worms.

Thanks everyone for all of your help and input while I've been trying to figure this out.

 

[LaFleche]

The vet came by the coop this weekend to look at her and recommended euthanasia, so she was put down.

Just like that without any further investigating the cause? No necropsy done?

And what about the de-worming?