Poop butt

[22ChickenNuggets]

Ok so I have no idea WHY she’s getting a dirty bum, and even trying to clean it is almost impossible. What is going on?? She’s the only one. What am I doing wrong. What can I do? I’m going to try and clean her up today and clip around to help. Why am I having such crap luck with my chickens?! I’m so everything thing I can to make sure everything is as good as it can be, are chickens really this difficult?!

 

[ChickenCanoe]

It must be something affecting the digestive system. That could be worms, a virus, bacterial infection, etc..
Can you take a fecal sample to a vet to be read?

A good probiotic like Gro2Max can't hurt and will balance the gut biome.

 

[humblehillsfarm]

First, take a deep breath. Poopy butts happen quite often in chickens and *usually* are not cause for alarm, although there is in increased risk for burning the skin from the poo or attracting flies.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/vent-gleet-aka-nasty-chicken-butt.64647/

There is an article on vent gleet, which I suspect may be the issue.

I'd start by offering up probiotics, either a drink supplement, yogurt, or my personally favorite (I feed daily) is fermented feed.

I'd also consider deworming them as a safety precaution.

 

[22ChickenNuggets]

First, take a deep breath. Poopy butts happen quite often in chickens and *usually* are not cause for alarm, although there is in increased risk for burning the skin from the poo or attracting flies.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/vent-gleet-aka-nasty-chicken-butt.64647/

There is an article on vent gleet, which I suspect may be the issue.

I'd start by offering up probiotics, either a drink supplement, yogurt, or my personally favorite (I feed daily) is fermented feed.

I'd also consider deworming them as a safety precaution.

She’s one of my layers that seems to have issues in general, she sometimes lays soft shell eggs (2 at a time) I did lose one to lash egg a couple weeks ago. Thankfully she was in the house when she passed the lash egg. I almost wonder too that the rooster messes with her a lot, could it be rooster stress? I brought her in, washed her butt and didn’t really see anything alarming with her vent. Just a mess. They are fed all flock (Nutrena per recommendation by people in the forum) they all seem to be doing good with it. I just did a gallon waterer with Rooster booster vitamins and electrolytes with lacto bacillus for the entire flock this morning. I do have some safeguard de-wormer. I also put ACV in their water yesterday to help with the algae. She seems to be laying normal and acting normal as well. I’ve heard that yogurt wasn’t the best choice because they can’t digest dairy. I could be wrong.

 

[humblehillsfarm]

She’s one of my layers that seems to have issues in general, she sometimes lays soft shell eggs (2 at a time) I did lose one to lash egg a couple weeks ago. Thankfully she was in the house when she passed the lash egg. I almost wonder too that the rooster messes with her a lot, could it be rooster stress? I brought her in, washed her butt and didn’t really see anything alarming with her vent. Just a mess. They are fed all flock (Nutrena per recommendation by people in the forum) they all seem to be doing good with it. I just did a gallon waterer with Rooster booster vitamins and electrolytes with lacto bacillus for the entire flock this morning. I do have some safeguard de-wormer. I also put ACV in their water yesterday to help with the algae. She seems to be laying normal and acting normal as well. I’ve heard that yogurt wasn’t the best choice because they can’t digest dairy. I could be wrong.

I would consider adding probiotics daily, and honestly fermenting yourself is the only way to ensure adequate delivery. Water additives are not a guarantee of live bacteria, and neither is ACV. I've also found my flock reduces water intake with any water additives at all, and I've tried quite a few.

I don't believe rooster stress can be a cause. I am not confident poor shell quality would be either, although I'd still ensure they have access to free choice calcium. Soft shells are more common in the heat of summer, and in older layers as well.

And again, you can't rule out parasites without a test, so I always err on the side of caution with worms and parasites. Although for me personally I try to wait until they molt and stop laying and deworm the whole flock.

 

[Eggcessive]

I would just wash her vent area in warm soapy water. Look for any redness or bare spots around her vent. Maggots from flies can be deadly if they invade a poopy butt this time of year. Trim of any excess fluff around her vent. If she is having some loose droppings, that can be common in hot weather when drinking a lot. New droppings will cling to the poop already there that dries. Usually with vent gleet, you would smell a foul odor, see raw bare skin around the vent, and she might have constant running poop.

Stop the ACV. Clean your waterers daily with soap and water, and replace with clean water. What brand of feed do you use? Some already have probiotics. The Rooster Booster Vitamins with lactobacillus is okay for a few days, but it has electrolytes which can cause diarrhea if used mire than a couple of days. A spoonful of plain Greek yogurt or a commercial probiotic can be used a couple of days a week. Probios powder is one easily found in most feed stores for all animals. Most vets have Purina Proplan Fortiflora that they can sell in packets, or you can order that or others online. In my flock there may always be one hen who has a chronic dirty butt, and it may be nothing wrong.

 

[humblehillsfarm]

In my flock there may always be one hen who has a chronic dirty butt, and it may be nothing wrong.

When I first got chickens, there was a rooster and hen cochin pair with constant poopy butts. I believe now they may have had vent gleet, but I didn't know that was abnormal at the time. I had them for around two years and they lived just fine, poop and all. Although *now* I would have made more of an effort to keep things clean to deter flies. I was just lucky, I think. But yeah, many chickens live with chronic poop butts just fine!

 

[Eggcessive]

Yes, some just need to be cleaned up on a regular basis. In cold weather, it is not so important, but during fly season, we constantly hear of chickens with fly strike. True vent gleet would require antifungal medicines given orally, while also apply cream to the cleaned up vent.

 

[22ChickenNuggets]

I would consider adding probiotics daily, and honestly fermenting yourself is the only way to ensure adequate delivery. Water additives are not a guarantee of live bacteria, and neither is ACV. I've also found my flock reduces water intake with any water additives at all, and I've tried quite a few.

I don't believe rooster stress can be a cause. I am not confident poor shell quality would be either, although I'd still ensure they have access to free choice calcium. Soft shells are more common in the heat of summer, and in older layers as well.

And again, you can't rule out parasites without a test, so I always err on the side of caution with worms and parasites. Although for me personally I try to wait until they molt and stop laying and deworm the whole flock.

Thanks! She was a new layer so I’m accounting that for the couple soft shell eggs. And they definitely haven’t been through a mot yet, they are only 6 months old currently. Almost 7 months. She is a hybrid (sexlink) and I definitely don’t want to deworm if I don’t know. I’m hoping my vet, can send out a fecal sample for me. She’s not a poultry vet. I actually can’t even find a poultry vet where I live. So I count on everyone else’s experience and reading what I can. Can you recommend a good probiotic? I’m assuming I’d want one with a prebiotic and probiotic. The probiotics feed on the prebiotics. As for calcium, they have 2 types to choose from flake oyster and crumble oyster shell. And also mixed in baked egg shell if that what they want to use. They semi free range in a fenced in area.

 

[22ChickenNuggets]

I would just wash her vent area in warm soapy water. Look for any redness or bare spots around her vent. Maggots from flies can be deadly if they invade a poopy butt this time of year. Trim of any excess fluff around her vent. If she is having some loose droppings, that can be common in hot weather when drinking a lot. New droppings will cling to the poop already there that dries. Usually with vent gleet, you would smell a foul odor, see raw bare skin around the vent, and she might have constant running poop.

Stop the ACV. Clean your waterers daily with soap and water, and replace with clean water. What brand of feed do you use? Some already have probiotics. The Rooster Booster Vitamins with lactobacillus is okay for a few days, but it has electrolytes which can cause diarrhea if used mire than a couple of days. A spoonful of plain Greek yogurt or a commercial probiotic can be used a couple of days a week. Probios powder is one easily found in most feed stores for all animals. Most vets have Purina Proplan Fortiflora that they can sell in packets, or you can order that or others online. In my flock there may always be one hen who has a chronic dirty butt, and it may be nothing wrong.

Ok, I’ll stop the ACV, I only put some in the water yesterday for the first time, I clean waterers and feeders every 2 days, and if it’s super hot out daily. Today was also the first time I used the rooster booster. They just get normal water the other times. I do have well water. So I don’t know if that’s the issue. I feed Nutrena all flock. I have a roo and 2 birds that aren’t laying yet. And I don’t wanna mess my roo up with layer feed. Their grit is supposed to have probiotics on it. But who knows lol if it’s anything like manufacturers of kibble when they say added probiotics it’s usually false (I am a canine nutritionist) I can try the yogurt, but I was also advised they chickens can’t digest dairy. But I’ll also look into the probios. I can find that anywhere.