Red, irritated and dirty area around vent

[Orit]

Hello,
One of my older hens has had a dirty bottom for awhile and I've been planning on cleaning her bottom. But the other day I noticed a very red, irritated- looking patch of skin below her vent. Any idea what this is? And what I can do about it?

Thanks in advance!

 

[Goosebaby]

It could definitely be ammonia burn from the pasty butt, it will irritate and inflame the skin.
Other issues could be a mite problem.

The other issue that need to be addressed is why she had a pastey butt to begin with, thats a health concern.

 

[Orit]

What does a pasty butt indicate? What should I be concerned about? Thank you!

 

[Goosebaby]

What does a pasty butt indicate? What should I be concerned about? Thank you!

Well there’s quite a number of things that could cause it, basically something is going wrong with her digestive tract but it’s hard to say what.

She could have worms
A bacterial infection
A reproductive or organ problem
A yeast or fungal infection
A virus
Poisoning

Is her abdomen enlarged or feel like there’s a lot of fluid in it? Is she showing any other symptoms like lethargy, not wanting to eat, limping, coughing, changes in voice, tail pumping, or anything else?

 

[Eggcessive]

It would be good to look at feather picking by other chickens or even herself as a possibility. Chemical burn from ammonia in the droppings, lice or mites, fever, are other reasons for consideration. Feather picking usually involves seeing broken off or missing feathers. They will sometimes do it to each other on the roosts at night, or when they are just hanging around. I would observe their behavior, make sure they have no mites or lice, make sure they are not overcrowded, and are getting enough protein in their feed. It helps to get outside to roam, or have aome objects of interest to prevent boredom.

 

[Orit]

Well there’s quite a number of things that could cause it, basically something is going wrong with her digestive tract but it’s hard to say what.

She could have worms
A bacterial infection
A reproductive or organ problem
A yeast or fungal infection
A virus
Poisoning

Is her abdomen enlarged or feel like there’s a lot of fluid in it? Is she showing any other symptoms like lethargy, not wanting to eat, limping, coughing, changes in voice, tail pumping, or anything else?

No - her behavior is totally normal. In fact, she just started periodically laying again (she's 9 years old). Hmmm... the range of possibilities is wide. Maybe I should bite the bullet and go to a vet...

 

[Orit]

It would be good to look at feather picking by other chickens or even herself as a possibility. Chemical burn from ammonia in the droppings, lice or mites, fever, are other reasons for consideration. Feather picking usually involves seeing broken off or missing feathers. They will sometimes do it to each other on the roosts at night, or when they are just hanging around. I would observe their behavior, make sure they have no mites or lice, make sure they are not overcrowded, and are getting enough protein in their feed. It helps to get outside to roam, or have aome objects of interest to prevent boredom.

She is the queen of my flock. She's older than all of the others by a lot (she's 9). I can't imagine anyone wanting to peck her feathers (but I can't know for sure). One thing, that I'm starting to consider is that she regularly sleeps on the floor of the coop (in one of the egg boxes). Occasionally, she will sleep on the perch, but really rarely. She's big, heavy and old so, I attributed her ground sleeping to that. But maybe that is causing the irritation???

 

[dawg53]

It's due to urates in feces scalding her skin turning it red and inflamed. Apply Nu-Stock to the reddened area and it will heal up in time and prevent any picking at the same time. Wear disposable gloves when applying the Nu-Stock.

 

[Orit]

It's due to urates in feces scalding her skin turning it red and inflamed. Apply Nu-Stock to the reddened area and it will heal up in time and prevent any picking at the same time. Wear disposable gloves when applying the Nu-Stock.
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Thank you! I will try this!