swollen vent

[alib]

im new at this and hope it gets easier, two days ago it thought that she was constipated, i followed all the advice that i have read about "egg bound " and constipated. she is up and moving , but her butt si still swollen and red, , , what can i do to bring the swelling down , oor should i just leave her alone, she is out running , but is still puffy

thnks
alib

 

[alib]

she smells really bad , black poo ,

 

[rebrascora]

Hi

I think we need more information and a photo of her vent would be helpful to ensure we understand exactly what you are talking about.... it sounds like she may have a prolapse in which you would be best to bring her in and clean her up again and apply Preparation H Haemorrhoid Cream or Raw Honey and place her in a box in a dark room for a few days to try to prevent further egg production until she heals, just letting her out for a few hours a day to eat and drink and clean her up and apply more ointment. Leaving her with the flock risks the other hens pecking at it and opening her up, possibly fly strike (depending on where in the world you are) and the tissue drying up and becoming necrotic.... all of which could kill her.

 

[charmchick]

I have a chicken with the same issue I noticed her bottem just below her vent is swollen and light red I will have to watch closer but not sure if she’s pooping or not. It is soft to touch and seems to bother her to touch but other then that she is in good spirits and active I gave her plain yogurt with a shot of young living Ningxia red in it today not sure how else to treat or if this is the start of vent gleet?

 

[rebrascora]

@charmchick

Hi

That swelling and bald patch is not down to vent gleet. There can be a number of caused and sadly most of them will eventually prove terminal. The most common causes of abdominal swelling are :-

Ascites, which is a build up of fluid in the abdominal cavity and can be due to internal laying or fatty liver haemorrhagic syndrome or possibly heart failure. Draining the fluid will give short term relief but is in itself risky as it can introduce infection or cause a fatal blood pressure drop. The fluid will usually build back up usually in a few weeks and need re-draining and each time the risks of infection increase. If it is caused by internal laying, some people have successfully treated their birds by having hormonal implants inserted by a vet which prevents ovulation and the body seems to be able to reabsorb most of the fluid but not the egg yolks which have already been deposited in there.

Internal laying/egg yolk peritonitis itself can cause the swelling without the build up of fluid. Over a period of time (usually months) yolks released daily by the ovary fail to travel into the oviduct and instead drop into the abdominal cavity where they are trapped between the intestines and the abdominal wall. The mass slowly builds up and the bird will sometimes walk with a wide stance and the feathers are either worn off on the roost or preened off perhaps due to irritation. Eventually the mass starts to constrict the gut and the bird has difficulty pooping solids and the vent becomes soiled and sometimes they develop a slow/sour crop as the digestive tract is stopped back. Throughout most of the time this is going on the hen will appear healthy with a nice bright red comb which indicates she is ovulating, but will not be producing any eggs.

Salpingitis is another possibility. This is an inflammation and infection of the oviduct which results in lash egg material (a mixture of egg and pus which is usually a solid cheesy material in chickens) builds up in the oviduct sometimes to the size of a grapefruit and prevents any further eggs being produced, but often yolks are still ripening and being released by the ovary, so once the oviduct is packed solid, they then start being laid internally and dropping into the abdominal cavity. Sometimes the hen dies before it gets to that stage. The infection is usually confined to the oviduct, so the hen does not appear sick, but again, the gut eventually gets constricted and the bird is unable to poop and dies.

Tumours can also cause abdominal swelling like this. The bird may start to look sick and their comb dry and pale by the time it gets to this size of swelling and muscle wastage may be apparent particularly breast muscle, so the breast bone may be quite sharp and prominent.

Excessive fatty deposits often due to a dietary imbalance can also lead to swelling in this area.... this can also lead to haemorrhaging of the liver and ascites and a severe liver haemorrhage will cause sudden death. Too much carbohydrate and not enough protein and exercise can be the cause but heavier breeds of birds are also more prone to it. The fatty deposits can also form around the internal organs and the cloaca narrowing the opening and possibly leading to egg binding and/or prolapse. Assessing your flock's diet (too much scratch, bread, corn etc can cause this) and management (ensuring plenty of space to move around and places to scratch for bugs etc rather than being cooped in a small area with easy access to a feeder) can be important to prevent this or possibly reverse the effects if caught early enough.


In short, there is not a lot that can be done for a bird with abdominal swelling other than ensure they have correct nutrition and exercise or possibly spend hundreds of dollars on hormone implants.

Keep an eye on her and have a plan to euthanize her if her quality of life deteriorates. You could crate her to see if she is laying eggs as that might help you narrow things down. Sometimes birds that are internally laying or have salpingitis will visit the nest boxes and may even sing the egg song, so isolating them in a crate is the best way to find out if they are actually producing. Of course some people do not believe in euthanasia and some people might consider butchering and eating a bird that was not actively producing eggs, so there is a whole spectrum of options as to what you might do if that is the situation.

I'm sorry I am unable to paint a rosy picture for this girl. She could survive months or even a year plus with that swelling but sadly if will most likely be the end of her eventually.