Sore vent, looks like cottage cheese, need help.

[silkies mama]

i need help. I hatched out this chick about 4 months ago from an egg I purchased. Since the day it was hatched it had what some call pastey butt. I always had to clean his vent every couple of days. I tried antibiotics, expensive natural yogurt, ACV. It was raised on medicated chick starter. The butt is getting worse and worse. Today I cleaned the vent really well. I picked off the cottage cheese (yep sounds yucky but I`m ok doing that) I washed the vent really well, patted dry and applied antibiotic ointment. Hes been on yogurt and ACV for 3 days steady, plus pro-biotics in his water too. He eats like a horse, is active and crows. The only indication of a problem is that vent, oh and its smelly too. I treated for Coccidia a month ago with no change in the vent. Does anyone have any suggestions of what this might be? When I pulled off the cottage type fungus or what ever it was, he did bleed a tiny bit. But as i said I washed him, patted him dry and added the antibiotic ointment. Has anyone else seen this? What is it??

 

[dana0710]

So, I'm a total newbie here, but it sounds like vent gleet?

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

 

[Eggcessive]

I would stop the yogurt (it can cause diarrhea and has too much calcium for him,) and just give him chicken feed with probiotics every other day--Probios Dispersible Powder is excellent. If you need to do more major cleaning, give him an epsom salts warm bath which will soothe him. Nustock a sulfur-based anti-fungal cream at the feed store is good for his vent, or another anti-fungal from the drug store, Miconozole is good. Here is another good link: http://www.tillysnest.com/2012/12/vent-gleet-prevention-and-treatment.html

 

[casportpony]

Can you post a picture? Could be fungal or bacterial.

-Kathy

 

[silkies mama]

Warning, pretty ugly picture. This is what I`m dealing with.

 

[casportpony]

Interesting... That *could* be a tumor. Check every inch of his body for other strange lumps.

-Kathy

 

[casportpony]

Was he vaccinated for Marek's and have you ever had any birds die from Marek's?

-Kathy

 

[Michael Apple]

All ACV will do on a regular basis is irritate the intestinal tract. Which antibiotic did you treat the bird with?

That is necrotic tissue surrounding the vent from a longstanding bout of vent gleet or diarrhea. It will take dedicated practice to eliminate it. I would recommend soaking the hen's bottom in a warm epsom salt solution. Hold the bird to prevent flapping wings and submerge her entire vent area in the water for a few minutes, or until the necrotic tissue is soft. Pat the bird dry with a soft towel and while wearing nitrile or latex gloves, gently remove the moistened dead tissue from around the vent. Baby wipes come in handy. After you have the area clean, apply a light coat of triple antibiotic ointment. Make sure the bird is not damp since you don't want her to get chilled. The vent will need to be checked daily and cleaned of any fecal matter. Clip feathers around the vent if you must to keep it clean.

Once the area heals you will know if this is a vent gleet/fungal infection. White cheesy or foamy droppings can be an indication of vent gleet. People often overlook the caecal damage which cecal worms can cause too. If you haven't wormed the bird, I would suggest a 1/2 cc oral dose of Valbazen suspension (Albendazole) or Safe-guard liquid (Fenbendazole) labeled for goats. Dose once and again ten days later. After each dose give vitamins-electrolytes, and probiotics in the water as the only source of drinking water. A good water dispersible probiotic is Probios dispersible powder. Easily absorbed compared to probiotics found in foods, and has a balanced ratio of the most beneficial types.

 

[casportpony]

Silkies do have black skin.

-Kathy

 

[casportpony]

FWIW, I just had one that looked a lot like this one and the lump on the vent was actually a Marek's tumor, which wasn't obvious until I found other tumors hidden in his feathers.

-Kathy