Poopy butt...and prolapse??

[Houdini56]

I have a golden comet sex link named Joy who is about 5 months old and has been laying for maybe 4 weeks at most. No issues before this. She showed up with a poopy butt less than a week ago. Did some research and gave her a bath.

On the first bath she had what I'll describe as red membranous ball bulging from her vent for the first 5 minutes. Kind of startling as I hadn't seen that before...but as the bath progressed she pulled it back in and it stayed in.

The next day poopy butt again so another bath -- this time there was no bulge showing at all. Spent a little extra time washing and got 95+ percentage of poop off the feathers around and below vent.

This morning, poopy butt again. During today's bath the membranous ball was bulging the whole time.

I spent even more time today and got 98% of the gunk off the feathers below vent. This stuff is like concrete, wow. After her bath I put her in a tractor on the grass by herself so she can get dry because I don't dry her too vigorously with the towel in part because of that bulge....and I notice the bulge is no longer showing after each bath when I've checked.

I have given her a little (a tablespoon) plain yogurt every other day this week which I've seen recommended here. Not giving any treats other than the usual lettuce leaves they get each morning.

I'm feeling frustrated and have two questions -- okay, probably more than two!!

Is the (temporary) bulge a true prolapse, or is it only a prolapse when it is showing all the time?

And if I'm not dealing with prolapse, can I get some specific feedback on the poopy butt. Have done quite a bit of reading here and seen people say they have a hen they have to wash regularly because it seems to always have poopy butt....seriously??!! It takes two of us to bathe her, one to hold her securely and the other to wash the bum. This is not something I want to be doing regularly, obviously.

The skin around the vent is pale pink and I don't see any sort of bugs or parasites....just concrete poop.

I'm wondering if I need to dry her more thoroughly -- maybe the damp feathers are an invitation for the whole snowball cycle to start again? Or maybe those feathers do need to be 100% clean, in which case I may have to take her to a vet unless somebody has some suggestions -- I hate to yank much on the poor girl's feathers because I notice the skin gets reddish quickly if I'm too rough with the cleaning down there.

I know the feathers can be clipped, but unless I clip them really close it may be pointless as it seems like the stuff hardest to remove is that closest to the skin on the feather shaft.

She's so patient with this bathing process, bless her heart, so honestly it appears I'm suffering more than she is, lol.

Any ideas, suggestions, feedback and experience would be greatly appreciated by both Joy and myself.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Is she still laying eggs daily?

If you can get some photos of what you are seeing it may be helpful.
What do you feed her?

 

[Houdini56]

Is she still laying eggs daily?

If you can get some photos of what you are seeing it may be helpful.
What do you feed her?

Yes, I had a full set of eggs yesterday and today so she is still laying. They are still on start-n-grow, 18% feed, and have oyster shell calcium and grit available all the time.

Poopy butt again today......so another bath and this is again what is showing at her vent....

It was like that the whole time I bathed her. Today I opted to see if I could blow dry her feathers a bit afterward so I got her wrapped in a towel (like I do my cat after a bath!) and blow dried her feathers as best I could, hoping that will help.

Hoping it's nothing serious and simply some digestive change that we can get on top of again.

Sure do appreciate your feedback!

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Looks like she's partially prolapsing, which is really not a good thing if you are seeing that continuously.

The discharge to me is concerning as well. Does her crop empty completely overnight? Any sour smell from her breath or does the poopy bottom smell yeasty?
I'm thinking that you may want to treat her for Vent Gleet. Taking a sample of poop to your vet for testing of worms is a good idea too.

For the prolapse, I would also give her extra calcium for 3-4 days to see if that will help with retention (1/2 tablet of Caltrate).
Does she feel fatty in the abdomen (below the vent between the legs)?

I would also like to see what @Eggcessive and @coach723 think.

 

[casportpony]

I had one like this not that long ago that I fixed by treating for worms, coccidiosis, and a bacterial infection.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/prolapse-vent-gleet-and-egg-bound.1312823/

So I agree with @Wyorp Rock, it would be best to have her poop tested for bacteria, yeast, worms, and coccidia.

 

[coach723]

If vet care is an option that may be best. I think what @casportpony said should be considered. Anything causing the bird to strain can cause prolapse. Another possibility is a papilloma, which can sometimes look like a recurring prolapse and can have the runny droppings too. A vet can check for that with a simple test (I've not dealt with that, so just from reading).
Some birds are unfortunately predisposed to prolapse, and it often can recur. Are her eggs normal sized, or larger than average? I have a sex link that lays enormous eggs, sometimes double yolk, sometimes single, she has never prolapsed, but I do watch her.
I'm attaching a couple of links that may help.
http://veterinarycalendar.dvm360.com/avian-cloacal-prolapses-proceedings
https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/papillomatosis-or-warts-in-birds

 

[Houdini56]

Wow, this is starting to feel overwhelming. Unfortunately, I'm new to chickens and not as familiar as I'd like to be with the specifics of their anatomy....I haven't really been able to identify where the crop is so can't answer that question. Will check her abdomen if she needs another bath tomorrow.

I have not noticed bad breath and honestly not even a significant odor to the discharge or poop or whatever is going on down there.

A couple times a week we get very large eggs and also jumbo eggs....but I haven't thought it was Joy laying them, though can't know without a coop cam!

Have been reading a lot about prolapse and also gleet today. Am going to keep her in the tractor on the grass for the next few days -- though a bit concerned about how much stress this might add to her, being separated from the others. Will put some apple cider vinegar in her water and see if I can get some calcium down her.

Will call the vet tomorrow and see if they will test her poop without also the fuss of a full exam during (my) work week.

Thanks so much for feedback and suggestions, will keep you all updated.

 

[casportpony]

I haven't really been able to identify where the crop is so can't answer that question.

The crop is located on the bird's right side, it's where the food is stored before being digested.

 

[Houdini56]

The crop is located on the bird's right side, it's where the food is stored before being digested.

Thanks SO MUCH for this photo! When you aren't sure of the anatomy and you read a description that B is between A and C...if you aren't sure where A and C are....yeah, that's frustrating.

Will take a good look at her crop this evening and then again in the morning to see if there's a significant different. I I watch them daily when they're on "range" time and haven't noticed any obvious differences between the hens.

 

[Eggcessive]

Sorry about your hen. Good suggestions from all so far. Your hen’s breed is a great layer of very large eggs, and sometimes there can be some damage to the vent from a very large egg or it one gets stuck. It is overwhelming to read a bunch of articles about anatomy and disorders when you are just starting. But those can be helpful to read when you get time. I had two hens once who were sisters and both suffered mild prolapses the same day. They would go back in easily, but anytime they strained while I picked them up or when they laid an egg, there would be a prolapse. They always went back in, so I just ignored them. I would check to see if your hen may be constipated. If this is the case, giving her a tsp of mineral oil once might help. Probiotics are good as well which you have been doing with yogurt. I would give only a tsp. There could also be a fungal or other infection causing this. Papillomas are viral growths that can be found anywhere, but a particular type can be seen around the inside of the vent.