Poo on hen's rear, then sores on skin, then systemic infection

[260906]

We have a very fat, very fluffy cochin hen who constantly has a dirty rear. We can't keep this girl clean! She doesn't squat like all our others hens when she goes to the bathroom, but just stands there and lets it run down her backside. It usually helps to trim the feathers around and below her vent, but it's only a partial, temporary solution.

This time around, some of the poo contacted her skin (because some feathers are missing) so she got a few small sores on her skin. I believe infection from a sore has quickly become systemic (or else she has a cold). She acts fine, but has some bubbling in her eyes. I've not seen bubbly eyes on any of our hens since they all had a bad cold several years ago.

We gave her a bath, blow dried her, re-trimmed her backside, applied some Blue-Kote wound treatment, and set her up in an "infirmary" cage with a yogurt/pellet/oat mash. (As a side note: I discovered tonight that if you accidentally get Blue-Kote on your skin, you can get 90% of if off with a little rubbing alcohol! Yay!)

In the past, I've used Duramycin 10 antibiotic powder in the hens' water. Would that be the best thing to use in this situation? Also, do you have any recommendations for prevention of future poo buildup? Three years of chicken baths has gotten old!

 

[Eggcessive]

It's possible that she has vent gleet which is usually a fungal infection. Pictures may help. Antibiotics may make a fungal infection worse. If a vet is an option, it would be good to seek help. Probiotics , as well as giving ACV may help. Antifungal drugs such as Fluconazole or Nystatin are sometimes used. Here are some links to help you:
http://www.tillysnest.com/2012/12/vent-gleet-prevention-and-treatment.html
https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/vent-gleet-aka-nasty-chicken-butt
http://birdhealth.com.au/flockbirds/poultry/diseases/vent_gleet.html

 

[260906]

Thanks for your ideas and links, Eggcessive. I took pictures earlier and got so busy I didn't get a chance to post them.
The wounds are near the bottom of the fatty area between her legs. Her poo problem has gotten worse since I put an automatic feeder in the coop because she tends to hang out by it and has gotten fatter. I feel so sorry for her, even though she acts fine.
I'll check out your links now.

 

[260906]

From reading your three links, Eggcessive, it does not seem to me that she has vent gleet. Her poo is normal and her vent looks healthy. The poo that was stuck on her feathers and skin was normal poo that had dried. She lost a few extra feathers when I was cleaning her because the dried clumps of poo were so difficult to remove. I accidentally pulled a couple because I was wearing gloves that were large and clumsy for me (I must buy some new ones tomorrow). The biggest wound (in the middle of the photo) makes me wonder if someone pecked her, rather than the poo making a sore. I'm not sure, though.

 

[dawg53]

You're going to have to continue trimming back fluff/feathers in order for her to get a clear 'shot' to the ground. Dont trim back too much as it will entice feather picking which might have happened in this instance. It could possibly be due to a mini molt, or the feces/urates couldve caused the skin irritation you're seeing if it wasnt caught soon enough simply because it was stuck in place. In any case, the Blu-Kote should help. I've had the same thing happen and use Nu-Stock to treat the bald area. I trim back fluff/feathers once a quarter.

 

[260906]

Thanks for your input, dawg53. I keep her feathers trimmed as short as I can back there, but she manages to get poo stuck on it anyway. I tried trimming it extremely short once, but her poor bum sunburned! I've never seen a chicken as messy as her or one who doesn't squat when she uses the bathroom.

Do you think the Blue-Kote will be enough to help her? Or should I also give an internal antibiotic like Duramycin 10, since she has some bubbles in her eyes that may indicate the infection has spread internally?