URGENT!! Sick chicken, poopy and bloody butt!

[Frontyard Chicken Owner]

My 2 year old chicken (looks to be a leghorn or a similar breed) has been a little puffed up for a few months now at times with poopy butt, but otherwise fine. Yesterday I came home to her hunched up in the nesting box, with blood drip and splatter in it. Thought she wouldn't make it through the night, but she did... for better or worse. Her symptoms are: she's lethargic, barely drinking and not really eating, bloody and poopy butt/vent, hunched and puffed up, maybe purplish comb. She may have what looks to be maybe a prolapsed vent, it's hard to tell. I hate to see her suffer, and have no chicken vets around anywhere. I put her in a box in the garage after I saw another chicken pecking at her vent. Now it's stopped bleeding, but still really bloody and I'm very concerned. I don't know when the last time she's laid an egg has been. She'll also lay an egg in the coop like it's fallen out of her while on the roost sometimes. She has passed little dribbles of poop but not normal droppings. I've never seen anything like this. Could it be worms, vent gleet, prolapsed vent, or what? I'm wondering if I should euthanize her, I don't want her to suffer. She's very skittish and I'm afraid handling her to clean her butt would make her super stressed/ a heart attack (probably not a heart attack but yk what I mean). I gave her water with a little bit of Gatorade to hopefully help her? She's been slowly drinking that. She seems maybe a little better now that she's in the box. PLEASE HELP (especially if you've had this happen before!!)

 

[Eggcessive]

If her vent is prolapsed, I would keep it moist with vaseline, mineral oil or honey which can reduce swelling. Has she been laying eggs. Is she low in pecking order or picked on by a rooster or the hens? Being bloody sounds like she may have been pecked with the prolapse. I would separate her in a dog crate until her prolapse ahs gone back inside. Post pictures the am if possible.

 

[Frontyard Chicken Owner]

If her vent is prolapsed, I would keep it moist with vaseline, mineral oil or honey which can reduce swelling. Has she been laying eggs. Is she low in pecking order or picked on by a rooster or the hens? Being bloody sounds like she may have been pecked with the prolapse. I would separate her in a dog crate until her prolapse ahs gone back inside. Post pictures the am if possible.

Okay, thanks for the tips. She has been pecked at so I moved her into to box. She's struggling to poop, only a little dribble will come out. Don't know if that's from swelling or not eating, or both. There's so many things I'm not sure about nor how they tie together. I hate seeing her like this.

 

[Debbie292d]

Hi!

She's probably less stressed now being in a box away from those who've been pecking at her. I'd try make her a mash out of her feed (just add water and stir) and she might like that. Most think it's a treat. You didn't mention if she's been eating/drinking normally, but regardless, the lady would love this I'm sure.

Have you ever wormed your chickens? Just wondering if that could be a problem since you say she's been acting like this for two months.

The other thing, since she's just dribbling poop, if she has been eating and drinking, she could have an egg or some part thereof in her reproductive tract. I would try calcium therapy, and if this isn't an issue, it won't hurt her. The best thing is if you can get her some 300 mg Calcium Citrate +D3. She can have one of those per day for a few days up to a week. You'd just pop it whole in her beak, and she'll swallow it.

If she's got a poopy butt, I'd use a kitchen scissors and cut around and below her vent so she stays cleaner, and you can see what her vent looks like.

 

[Frontyard Chicken Owner]

Hi!

She's probably less stressed now being in a box away from those who've been pecking at her. I'd try make her a mash out of her feed (just add water and stir) and she might like that. Most think it's a treat. You didn't mention if she's been eating/drinking normally, but regardless, the lady would love this I'm sure.

Have you ever wormed your chickens? Just wondering if that could be a problem since you say she's been acting like this for two months.

The other thing, since she's just dribbling poop, if she has been eating and drinking, she could have an egg or some part thereof in her reproductive tract. I would try calcium therapy, and if this isn't an issue, it won't hurt her. The best thing is if you can get her some 300 mg Calcium Citrate +D3. She can have one of those per day for a few days up to a week. You'd just pop it whole in her beak, and she'll swallow it.

If she's got a poopy butt, I'd use a kitchen scissors and cut around and below her vent so she stays cleaner, and you can see what her vent looks like.

Thank you for your reply!
She seems a little bit perkier today though she's still obviously not feeling well. I just made her some mash and she's eating at it more than anything else we've tried (scrambled egg, scratch), so hopefully that helps her. I'll see if I can get some calcium, where can you buy it from? Also I'm worried that if her vent is prolapsed an egg might damage it, but it's too hard to tell. She's really smelly now, and every time she strains to poop, I don't see any plop out of her (tmi I know lol). I haven't wormed her (though I should worm the whole flock (a whopping 3 chickens)), as I thought that if she had worms the rest would too, and it's just her that has issues. Can I worm her when she's sick or will it make her more weak? Thanks for your help!

 

[Eggcessive]

Calcium citrate with vitamin D 300 mg is available at Walmart (and most stores) in the vitamin aisle in the pharmacy area. Tums can work, but has no vitamin D. You can worm her when her prolapse is better. Keep her clean and keep the prolapse tissue from drying out with ointment.