Protuding vent w/ necrotic tissue & purulent drainage

[Crankkt]

My grandfather has a flock of mostly barnyard mixes. He has recently became ill and has been struggling physically. My mother and I have primarily been looking after his flock. There is active cases of H5N1 in our area which has minimized my contact with his flock because I have my own at home. I would also like to add that my flock are pets but my grandfather is oldschool and we don't always see eye to eye on standards of care.

1) What type of bird , age and weight (does the chicken seem or feel lighter or thinner than the others.)

This pullet was hatched last may. She began laying in the summer but stopped in late October.

2) What is the behavior, exactly.

I got a call on my way home this evening to check on this hen. I brought a flashlight out to the coop and observed a protuding mass in the vent region approximately the size of a golf ball. There appears to be either a large scab or necrotic tissue present. There is large amounts of purulent drainage. The periwound is bear of feathers with erythema present. I watched both her and the other birds peck at the vent with the light on.

3) How long has the bird been exhibiting symptoms?

See above

4) Are other birds exhibiting the same symptoms?

No
5) Is there any bleeding, injury, broken bones or other sign of trauma.

Only what is mentioned in "2"

6) What happened, if anything that you know of, that may have caused the situation.

The coop is overcrowded with poor ventilation. It is not cleaned nearly often enough. There is a huge enclosed run but due to the avian flu the birds have remained in the small coop. My grandfather feels that sawdust is made of gold and will wait until the coop is well past its prime before cleaning.

7) What has the bird been eating and drinking, if at all.

I am unsure.

8) How does the poop look? Normal? Bloody? Runny? etc.

There is thick purulent drainage but no observed BM.

9) What has been the treatment you have administered so far?

No treatment administered. The light is off in the coop which I hope will prevent any pecking overnight. I came home and found an old wire dog crate that could be disinfected and brought up to house the hen. My plan currently is to go up first light in the morning to isolate her. I was going to soak her vent in warm water and clean and assess the area better in the morning.

10 ) What is your intent as far as treatment? For example, do you want to treat completely yourself, or do you need help in stabilizing the bird til you can get to a vet?

My grandfather would cull her but I am willing to try and help. There is a vet in the area who will consult over the phone and prescribe medications but does not offer hands on treatment to poultry.


11) If you have a picture of the wound or condition, please post it. It may help.

I will post pictures tomorrow.


12) Describe the housing/bedding in use

Sawdust.

My biggest questions are:

-Can I safely bring the hen to my house with cases of avian flu? This hen would need to go in the front portion of my garage where the back portion is my own coop. There is an insulated wall that divides the back third of my garafe and this encompasses my coop.
-What is the best treatment based on my description? I can add photos tomorrow ASAP

Thank you

@azygous @Wyorp Rock @Eggcessive

 

[azygous]

I understand you wanting to give this young bird a chance to recover and live a normal life, but you are risking a lot to do so.

Treating this bird will be very involved, and treatment very well may fail, rendering your risks pointless. I urge you to reconsider and euthanize this bird in the morning.

Bird flu is spread mostly by contact with infected birds and their feces, but some transmission can occur with contaminated dander and airborn feces and dust. You risk getting it yourself unless you mask up and take strict precautions.

If you decide to treat this young hen, she may be egg bound. That's the most common cause of vent prolapse. The first step would be to give her a calcium tablet, calcium citrate preferred, but a Tums will do. This will help her contractions and to push the egg out. She needs a tablet each day this is still happening. A whole tablet inserted diectly into the beak each day. No diluting or crushing.

The prolapse will not resolve until the blockage resolves. But you need to treat the prolapse regardless or it will dry out, get infected, and may never heal. It has taken nine days for the longest prolapse I've treated to resolve. Often prolapses can take a couple of days to resolve. To treat, you need Vetericyn spray, witch hazel to help shrink the tissues, and cortisone cream to further shrink the tissues and to combat inflammation, and antibacterial ointment.

Initially, she will require a soak in warm Epsom salts to clean her and relax her. After that, dry her off and use a soft rag saturated in witch hazel to gently finish cleaning the prolapse and to push it back inside. Any injury should be dressed with antibacterial ointment. Spray with Vetericyn, let dry, then lube the area well with coconut oil .

It helps to install the prolapse patient on thick towels to absorb the fluids the hen will be losing. This also allows you to monitor and easily identify whatever emerges from her vent, whether it's an egg, partially collapsed egg or mere tissue and poop. The emergence of a collapsed egg will require treatment with an oral antibiotic to combat bacterial infection from broken yolk.

You also need to provide plenty of clean water for her to drink to keep her hydrated as she is losing lots of fluids. Offer also regular feed to eat. You need to check on her hourly, and be prepared to minister to the prolapse each time so it does not dry out and become necrotic.

Feces, any exposed surfaces, towels, your clothes and gloves will all be dangerous bio-hazards to be 100% mindful of at all times.

Euthanizing this hen would not be taking the easy way out so much as it would be taking the most wise approach considering everything you're dealing with. But the choice is yours alone.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I'm sorry about the pullet, it must be difficult for you

I don't believe I could add anything else to the sound advice you have received from @azygous in post #2