Pasty Butt? Or something worse?

[Mountain Peeps]

Hey friends!

I just discovered my 7 year old Buff Orp hen has a clogged vent. It had a horrendous odor coming from it which first made me notice it. It looks just like pasty butt. However, the droppings are slightly green/yellow colored. Does this indicate some type of disease? I cut a lot of the feathers away, and I'll soon soak her in warm water to wash the rest of it off.

The sides of her vent were bleeding a bit, which I'm assuming is just from all the build up and possibly an infection...? She's acting pretty lethargic with not a whole lot of interest in food or water. The very tip of her comb was slightly purple also.

Am I overlooking something here or is it just a simple case of pasty butt in a grown hen? My other thought was maybe vent gleet? Any help would be really appreciated!!

P.S. I also think it's important to note that she has always had a messier bottom than any of my other hens. This is just the first time it has really caused a problem though.

 

[pipin]

It does sound like vent gleet! From what I've read, adult chickens don't really get pasty butt, which is the vent being blocked by feces. Instead, they get gleet which is a fungal infection of the tract. It is totally treatable, though!

https://www.tillysnest.com/2012/12/vent-gleet-prevention-and-treatment-html/

If she isn't interested in food, try giving her scrambled eggs and some electrolytes. It's important to have her at least drink water, so if she's refusing even that, you can use a small syringe or your finger to drip water onto the end of her beak. Just make sure you avoid getting any water / food in her nostrils!

 

[casportpony]

Oh no, I am so sorry! Can you post some pictures of her vent? It sounds like she probably has some sort of bacterial infection.

 

[Eggcessive]

There could be several possibilities. She may have had a prolapsed vent that got pecked by the other hens. Or she may have had poop caked on her, and she was pecked and straining to poo. Vent gleet is also a possibility. With cold weather, sometimes stuck on poop can freeze up and block the vent. Pictures of her cleaned up vent could be helpful. Vent pecking can lead to cannibalism, so watch for any signs of that. Nustock cream (found in the horse aisle in feed stores or on Amazon Prime) can be good to apply to her clean vent, and is both antifungal and healing. It tastes bad so also helps prevent more pecking.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000HHSIYQ/?tag=backy-20

 

[Eric_W]

Hey friends!

I just discovered my 7 year old Buff Orp hen has a clogged vent. It had a horrendous odor coming from it which first made me notice it. It looks just like pasty butt. However, the droppings are slightly green/yellow colored. Does this indicate some type of disease? I cut a lot of the feathers away, and I'll soon soak her in warm water to wash the rest of it off.

The sides of her vent were bleeding a bit, which I'm assuming is just from all the build up and possibly an infection...? She's acting pretty lethargic with not a whole lot of interest in food or water. The very tip of her comb was slightly purple also.

Am I overlooking something here or is it just a simple case of pasty butt in a grown hen? My other thought was maybe vent gleet? Any help would be really appreciated!!

P.S. I also think it's important to note that she has always had a messier bottom than any of my other hens. This is just the first time it has really caused a problem though.

It sure sounds like vent gleet. I’ve been going through this with one of my Khaki ducks. Is she still laying eggs? I isolated mine And cut her light to get her to stop laying and gave her monistat in her vent everyday and cleaned her vent. I kept her in the dark but it took her about a week to stop laying. I resolved the vent gleet issue (can tell because the horrible smell and discharge goes away) but from the egg binding and bleeding she got a secondary infection and I had to take her to the vet to get antibiotics. It’s been a long road with her and now I’m looking at implants so she can’t lay or a hysterectomy. Her vent is closed off enough that if she develops an egg she could never pass it. This is nasty stuff. I’ve only been a duck Dad 2 years and learning as I go. Early action is huge for her survival. Sorry to write a book here I’m just passing along what I’ve learned because there isn’t much info out there on this. I know because I searched and searched.

 

[casportpony]

http://www.poultrydvm.com/condition/vent-gleet
Vent Gleet
Other Names: Infected Cloaca, Cloacitis, Pasting Cloacitis, commonly referred to as vent gleet, is the inflammation of the chicken's cloaca. It isn't a specific disease but more of a gastrointestinal condition that can be caused by a number of different reasons, including many types of organisms (fungi, protozoa, parasites, yeast, and bacteria). Cloacitis can even be brought on by stress, often associated with egg laying, bowel infection, or a hormonal-related uterus issue. Stress causes an increase in pH levels which predisposes chickens to developing infection in the cloaca and nearby organs including the rectum and uterus.

Clinical Presentation
Early signs of cloacitis in chickens include:

• Pasting of the feathers near the vent
• The presence of a soft (bloated) abdomen
• Sudden dull appearance of feathers
• A decrease in egg production
• The presence of excess gas Loose, watery droppings

The key to successfully treating a chicken suffering from early stages of cloacitis is to properly identify the initial cause and to counteract the effect of stress by reducing the pH level of the cloaca.

Clinical Signs
Signs that chickens are suffering from advanced stages of cloacitis include:

• Slimy (often bloody) droppings
• The presence of a foul odor
• A hard (solid) abdomen
• Loss of appetite Inflammation (red, swelling) of the vent area
• The chicken is straining to defecate

Diagnosis

History
Clinical signs
Physical Exam
Fecal culture​

See more at: http://www.poultrydvm.com/condition/vent-gleet

 

[Mountain Peeps]

It does sound like vent gleet! From what I've read, adult chickens don't really get pasty butt, which is the vent being blocked by feces. Instead, they get gleet which is a fungal infection of the tract. It is totally treatable, though!

https://www.tillysnest.com/2012/12/vent-gleet-prevention-and-treatment-html/

If she isn't interested in food, try giving her scrambled eggs and some electrolytes. It's important to have her at least drink water, so if she's refusing even that, you can use a small syringe or your finger to drip water onto the end of her beak. Just make sure you avoid getting any water / food in her nostrils!

Oh no, I am so sorry! Can you post some pictures of her vent? It sounds like she probably has some sort of bacterial infection.

There could be several possibilities. She may have had a prolapsed vent that got pecked by the other hens. Or she may have had poop caked on her, and she was pecked and straining to poo. Vent gleet is also a possibility. With cold weather, sometimes stuck on poop can freeze up and block the vent. Pictures of her cleaned up vent could be helpful. Vent pecking can lead to cannibalism, so watch for any signs of that. Nustock cream (found in the horse aisle in feed stores or on Amazon Prime) can be good to apply to her clean vent, and is both antifungal and healing. It tastes bad so also helps prevent more pecking.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000HHSIYQ/?tag=backy-20

It sure sounds like vent gleet. I’ve been going through this with one of my Khaki ducks. Is she still laying eggs? I isolated mine And cut her light to get her to stop laying and gave her monistat in her vent everyday and cleaned her vent. I kept her in the dark but it took her about a week to stop laying. I resolved the vent gleet issue (can tell because the horrible smell and discharge goes away) but from the egg binding and bleeding she got a secondary infection and I had to take her to the vet to get antibiotics. It’s been a long road with her and now I’m looking at implants so she can’t lay or a hysterectomy. Her vent is closed off enough that if she develops an egg she could never pass it. This is nasty stuff. I’ve only been a duck Dad 2 years and learning as I go. Early action is huge for her survival. Sorry to write a book here I’m just passing along what I’ve learned because there isn’t much info out there on this. I know because I searched and searched.

http://www.poultrydvm.com/condition/vent-gleet
Vent Gleet
Other Names: Infected Cloaca, Cloacitis, Pasting Cloacitis, commonly referred to as vent gleet, is the inflammation of the chicken's cloaca. It isn't a specific disease but more of a gastrointestinal condition that can be caused by a number of different reasons, including many types of organisms (fungi, protozoa, parasites, yeast, and bacteria). Cloacitis can even be brought on by stress, often associated with egg laying, bowel infection, or a hormonal-related uterus issue. Stress causes an increase in pH levels which predisposes chickens to developing infection in the cloaca and nearby organs including the rectum and uterus.

Clinical Presentation
Early signs of cloacitis in chickens include:

• Pasting of the feathers near the vent
• The presence of a soft (bloated) abdomen
• Sudden dull appearance of feathers
• A decrease in egg production
• The presence of excess gas Loose, watery droppings

The key to successfully treating a chicken suffering from early stages of cloacitis is to properly identify the initial cause and to counteract the effect of stress by reducing the pH level of the cloaca.

Clinical Signs
Signs that chickens are suffering from advanced stages of cloacitis include:

• Slimy (often bloody) droppings
• The presence of a foul odor
• A hard (solid) abdomen
• Loss of appetite Inflammation (red, swelling) of the vent area
• The chicken is straining to defecate

View attachment 1990770
Diagnosis

History
Clinical signs
Physical Exam
Fecal culture​

See more at: http://www.poultrydvm.com/condition/vent-gleet

Thank you all so much for the info!!!

Good news: after a warm bath, I was able to get pretty much all the caked-on poop and dirty feathers off. She was so calm through the whole thing!! Her skin and vent area looked surprisingly pink, clean, and healthy considering how bad the surrounding feathers were.

She instantly started preening when she was out. I have her in a crate inside the house tonight. She ate quite a bit of wet chicken food with rice...poor thing has lost quite a bit of weight in the past weeks, it seems like. I might do an egg tomorrow morning. Haven't seen her drink yet...

She is not laying eggs currently, so I'm glad I don't have to worry about that. I had an egg bound hen once before and that certainly wasn't fun to deal with! She's the top ranking bird of the pecking order so I'm not too worried that she will get badly pecked when I put her back in with the flock.

If things get worse, I'll keep you posted, and I shall try to take some pics if it starts clogging again/something happens to her vent area. Thanks again!!

 

[Eric_W]

There could be several possibilities. She may have had a prolapsed vent that got pecked by the other hens. Or she may have had poop caked on her, and she was pecked and straining to poo. Vent gleet is also a possibility. With cold weather, sometimes stuck on poop can freeze up and block the vent. Pictures of her cleaned up vent could be helpful. Vent pecking can lead to cannibalism, so watch for any signs of that. Nustock cream (found in the horse aisle in feed stores or on Amazon Prime) can be good to apply to her clean vent, and is both antifungal and healing. It tastes bad so also helps prevent more pecking.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000HHSIYQ/?tag=backy-20

Hey friends!

I just discovered my 7 year old Buff Orp hen has a clogged vent. It had a horrendous odor coming from it which first made me notice it. It looks just like pasty butt. However, the droppings are slightly green/yellow colored. Does this indicate some type of disease? I cut a lot of the feathers away, and I'll soon soak her in warm water to wash the rest of it off.

The sides of her vent were bleeding a bit, which I'm assuming is just from all the build up and possibly an infection...? She's acting pretty lethargic with not a whole lot of interest in food or water. The very tip of her comb was slightly purple also.

Am I overlooking something here or is it just a simple case of pasty butt in a grown hen? My other thought was maybe vent gleet? Any help would be really appreciated!!

P.S. I also think it's important to note that she has always had a messier bottom than any of my other hens. This is just the first time it has really caused a problem though.

Thank you all so much for the info!!!

Good news: after a warm bath, I was able to get pretty much all the caked-on poop and dirty feathers off. She was so calm through the whole thing!! Her skin and vent area looked surprisingly pink, clean, and healthy considering how bad the surrounding feathers were.

She instantly started preening when she was out. I have her in a crate inside the house tonight. She ate quite a bit of wet chicken food with rice...poor thing has lost quite a bit of weight in the past weeks, it seems like. I might do an egg tomorrow morning. Haven't seen her drink yet...

She is not laying eggs currently, so I'm glad I don't have to worry about that. I had an egg bound hen once before and that certainly wasn't fun to deal with! She's the top ranking bird of the pecking order so I'm not too worried that she will get badly pecked when I put her back in with the flock.

If things get worse, I'll keep you posted, and I shall try to take some pics if it starts clogging again/something happens to her vent area. Thanks again!!

That’s so great to hear! Keep us posted .

 

[Kathy Golla]

Glad to hear she’s more comfortable.
Keep an eye on her backside as a standard....the BOs are hefty hens and they have a hard time reaching around to preen all the way back there.

 

[Mountain Peeps]

Good news; she is almost completely back to normal!! That bath worked! Thanks for all the tips everyone