Possible Vent Gleet

[Hoytman]

I called our local farm supply and they do not have quick gel. I don't use CC so ordering is out of the question and would likely delay treatment anyway.

They do however, have copper sulfate in powder form, but they can't tell me if it's "Acidified Copper Sulfate" or just copper sulfate...and they can't tell me if there is a difference.

I do have probiotics I could add to water as well. Not sure the vinegar w/"mother" will help. One thing I read is the vinegar can add issues with their digestion...making it hard to decide on further treatment.

I've already given yogurt and apple to the bird and this evening I've got to try and get her cleaned up...wiped off...something.

We have snow here now, so a bath is out of the question. I'm not even going to "go there" with the wife...out of the question too. I'll get her cleaned up some how though and get the wire cage cleaned out and add new bedding.

I've tried calling our local vet and cannot get a phone call to go through, so something is going on there and I have no clue.

 

[Hoytman]

So, here are possible treatments I've read about:
NOTE: I have no way confirm if any of these work or not. Comments are based on reading posts/opinions...and we all know about opinions...

-"Acidified" Copper Sulfate 1/4tsp. to 1gal. H2O, 7-10days treatment...reg. copper sulfate?
-Vinegar with the "mother"
-Greek Yogurt...plain, unsweetened
-Probiotics in H20 7dys.-2wks.
-Lemon Juice on greens
-Greens...lettuce, cabbage, broccoli, etc.
-Apples

*NO SCRATCH GRAINS*

 

[Bamabexchicks]

I called our local farm supply and they do not have quick gel. I don't use CC so ordering is out of the question and would likely delay treatment anyway.

They do however, have copper sulfate in powder form, but they can't tell me if it's "Acidified Copper Sulfate" or just copper sulfate...and they can't tell me if there is a difference.

I do have probiotics I could add to water as well. Not sure the vinegar w/"mother" will help. One thing I read is the vinegar can add issues with their digestion...making it hard to decide on further treatment.

I've already given yogurt and apple to the bird and this evening I've got to try and get her cleaned up...wiped off...something.

We have snow here now, so a bath is out of the question. I'm not even going to "go there" with the wife...out of the question too. I'll get her cleaned up some how though and get the wire cage cleaned out and add new bedding.

I've tried calling our local vet and cannot get a phone call to go through, so something is going on there and I have no clue.

Dr Ram Mohan at Avian Health clinic in Reynoldsburg Oh is my former boss and a super knowledgeable guy. Try giving him a call if you feel like it. His office mgr Elise is also dang smart. They may be of some help.

 

[Hoytman]

Sometimes I think might be easier and even best to simply cull the bird. Not quite ready for that yet though.

 

[Hoytman]

After reading more...which takes time; that needs to be spent elsewhere doing other things...I've decided to forget the copper sulfate. I'll try and treat it naturally with yogurt, molasses, and vinegar and if I see improvement good, if not, I will cull the bird in a few days.

I don't get it...

…I give fresh water morning and evening every day...it's even Reverse Osmosis water for crying out loud. My birds are on Purina pellets, scratch grains, occasional greens and pumpkins without the seeds, whole corn on or off the cob AND...cracked corn...which I think may have caused this.

From the day I opened the cracked corn I did not like the smell of it...smelled a little sour to me...just odd smelling for crushed corn seed basically...unless something else was added. I bought it at TSC. I wish now I hadn't mixed half of the bag with a new 30 lb. bag of scratch grains.

I keep layer pellets in front of the birds 24/7 and give scratch in the morning...nearly 2 quarts...about 1 3/4 qts. each morning with grit and oyster shell mixed in.

Someone here said to give them scratch only in the evening. Maybe I should try that and perhaps I am giving them too much scratch each day for 17 birds.

 

[Bamabexchicks]

Sometimes I think might be easier and even best to simply cull the bird. Not quite ready for that yet though.

Yeah I get that. But jthis is kingd of the equivalent of yeast infection. Treatment cream for womens vaginitis or atheletes feet cream placed on the vent might be just what it takes. I have been studying on it and think its totally worth a try.

 

[MissChick@dee]

After reading more...which takes time; that needs to be spent elsewhere doing other things...I've decided to forget the copper sulfate. I'll try and treat it naturally with yogurt, molasses, and vinegar and if I see improvement good, if not, I will cull the bird in a few days.

I don't get it...

…I give fresh water morning and evening every day...it's even Reverse Osmosis water for crying out loud. My birds are on Purina pellets, scratch grains, occasional greens and pumpkins without the seeds, whole corn on or off the cob AND...cracked corn...which I think may have caused this.

From the day I opened the cracked corn I did not like the smell of it...smelled a little sour to me...just odd smelling for crushed corn seed basically...unless something else was added. I bought it at TSC. I wish now I hadn't mixed half of the bag with a new 30 lb. bag of scratch grains.

I keep layer pellets in front of the birds 24/7 and give scratch in the morning...nearly 2 quarts...about 1 3/4 qts. each morning with grit and oyster shell mixed in.

Someone here said to give them scratch only in the evening. Maybe I should try that and perhaps I am giving them too much scratch each day for 17 birds.

The fungal problem can start in the crop from something simple like the chicken eating straw...it just sits in the crop and bad things begin to happen. If your hen also had bad breath “sour-bread like” you might want to treat the whole digestive system with antifungal. If your thinking is to possibly cull her you really don’t have much to loose.
I had a Roo who had a pendulous crop and sour crop constantly. Out of desperation I would give him antifungal cream and it worked.
He got feeling better problems subsided then I had to cull the bugger because he got so aggressive ~ go figure!
Hang in there! Best wishes

 

[Bamabexchicks]

Updates?

 

[Hoytman]

Bird is still with us and still has the problem though I'm wondering if it has gotten at least some better. It's sort of hard to tell. One day she's pooping fine, the next runny again. I've been giving vinegar in the water as well as molasses for about 4-5 days now I think.

She is eating, but not a lot it seems.

I just went this evening to get some medicated chick feed for her thinking it may help some. I also picked up some plain unflavored greek yogurt...she wouldn't touch the blueberry...LOL. I also got some electrolyte and probiotics to put into her water...this according to a book I looked at when I was at TSC. I am hoping this helps in a few days.

I do think she's lost some weight, but she is eating and pooping...does smell soured though.

I called a vet, they were supposed to have another vet call me back, but they never called, so I'm doing the best I know how. I still may need to cull her eventually. She is growing some tail feathers back though.

Oh...I did notice some black scab looking stuff around her vent. I hope it's just healing up where they had her bleeding from pulling her feathers out.

 

[Hoytman]

Tried Monostat for several weeks with not much change.

I really thought this bird was going to pull out of it once I separated her from the rest of the flock. However, animals always know which of their kind are weak to begin with. The bird started growing her tail feathers back for a second time and was very talkative. So, I kept giving her electrolytes/probiotics, yogurt with the Monostat, and medicated feed...I thought that might help too.

Keep in mind I had called a vet early on with this. Because of phone troubles on their end it took them a few days to get back with me and then they said they didn't mess with chickens and would have another vet call me. That never happened, so I kept doing what I could. Perhaps I should have tried to make contact again on my own. Then again, thinking about the cost of feeding this bird from a chick, then possibly taking it to a vet...reality set in. My chickens are not my pets...they are farm animals. That's not to say I don't want to care for this bird, but some times you have to use a little common sense. Is it cheaper to cull this bird or take it to the vet and hope for the best outcome. Then there's worrying about the rest of the flock or one bird causing other birds to be sick.

Well, yesterday I noticed the bird had some difficulty in talking to me...like she was struggling to get her "chicken talk" to come out properly. So today, I went up to the hen house and did the only thing I knew to do...use my head a little. I took a look at our other Brahma hen...very closely...taking note of her feathering, the color of her feet, the color of her beak, wattles, comb...then I compared them with the sick Brahma. That's what made up my mind. I'd been putting this off, mainly for my wife, and even a little for myself. I kept thinking that because she was growing new tail feathers that she'd be alright. Today, after seeing the pale color of this bird I decided, since the boy was gone, that it was time to cull this bird. Man I hated to do that! Would have been easier to kill her and eat her than to just end her life getting no use from her...eggs...meat...let alone letting her live a happy life for a while.

It was quick and clean and really without much fuss from me or the bird. Like I said, I hated to do it, not the act of it...well, that as well to some degree, but I just hated that she couldn't have been more healthy.

I'm a hunter by heart, but killing animals has never been something I've celebrated or took pictures of. I've never been one to sugar coat it by calling it harvesting...and I don't argue if others call it that...but I just call it what it is...it's killing. I don't mind to kill an animal, but I don't parade around about it either. That's not for me. Not who I am. I always feel remorse. My dad once told me any person with a heart does feel at least a little remorse. After-all, they are God's created creatures...and we are the stewards of that creation. Least, that's my story and I'm sticking to it.

So, for our first time raising chickens, 17, we've done pretty good to have only lost one bird since June 12, 2018, the day they became the proud owner of me. Sadly, I am sure that in the future, if I continue to keep chickens, I'll likely lose others as well...it's all part of life...especially on a farm. I don't call my place a farm, but in it's own way, even though it's small...I suppose it is.