Vent area swollen like large marble

[Doctor Pammie]

In case anyone looking for information has come this far, I want to report that this hen died last night. After returning her to the flock, she resumed "normal" hen behavior, was the first to lay an egg after molting/short winter days, and generally seemed fine. I was concerned that about a week ago I picked her up and saw that her vent was still not "normal" looking--that it looked a lot like it had when we'd had her in the house--sort of permanently open with a bit of poo visible, but no skin, definitely no prolapse, sticking out. Being relatively new to chickens--she is part of our first flock and less than two years old--I thought maybe this was just "how she was." Then, when checking the flock after work one day, I could see she was very sick--purple comb, stability issues, using wings for balance. (When we let them out in the morning it is pitch black, so they don't usually come out--unable to know how she was that morning.) I immediately scooped her up and we took her inside. Couldn't find anything wrong--no wounds, nothing broken, only the unusual situation of her bum. We gave her a warm bath for her vent like we had before, dried her, and put her in the dog crate in our bedroom and she died overnight. I am perplexed and very saddened. The only thing either my husband or I can surmise is that either maybe she had worms (so we're worming the rest of them just in case) or else maybe it was something congenital. We lost one of her flock mates just a month or so prior also for no apparent reason. I have researched and researched here and elsewhere and I am convinced that she didn't have any of the typical poultry illnesses. (I have a Ph.D., so I know how to find answers.) We have no vet anywhere in our region who will see poultry, so we are stuck trying to fend for ourselves. I don't know if this will help anyone else, but I wanted to update this in case something somewhere in our troubles can save someone else some trouble or heartache. Thanks to all who previously responded to my original plea for help. The folks on this forum are a wonderful support network.

 

[Eggcessive]

Sorry for your loss. Did she have a Mareks vaccine? Your description of her having stability issues and using her wings to balance could have been Mareks symptoms. Your chicken who died a month ago could have had a similar problem. Hopefully that was not the cause. Here are 2 good links for Mareks, one with 16 pictures of various symptoms: http://extension.unh.edu/resources/files/Resource000791_Rep813.pdf
http://partnersah.vet.cornell.edu/avian-atlas/search/disease/502

 

[Doctor Pammie]

Thank you for the link. I am almost certain it was not Marek's with either bird. The only symptom that applied to the bird we just lost was the balance issue, which I figure was more than likely her body shutting down since she died just a few hours later. We had handled her so much, we would have noticed anything else unusual. Especially since our flock now only has 4 birds. The issue with the vent was what was just so perplexing. I have seen videos of birds with Marek's also and she looked nothing like them. Plus everyone else is healthy. Thank you for the information, though.

 

[Beekissed]

Sorry for the delay. My husband and I have been so busy getting ready for today's snow storm and the frigid temps we're having for the next few days here in Virginia.

I did *not* do a cloacal exam on anyone. I'm not really sure what that means. I have looked over and over again at the images of the hen's insides. I guess I'm afraid that inserting a finger too far will hurt something? I did put my finger just inside to pull out these "blockages" twice, but that didn't require too much insertion.

Believe it or not, yesterday she laid an egg--the first since molting--the first of any of our little flock since they molted. I didn't get the chance to grab her and take a look yesterday afternoon although I'd treated her yesterday morning with more preparation H. Today when I got her, her vent looked exactly the same. It's swollen and a little squishy. I can see what looks to be swollen but healthy tissue from her insides through the gaping vent and also poop that's about to come out. This is what I've been seeing for over a week now. I had hoped that the egg was the problem, but I had been pretty certain that she wasn't egg bound. It's like she's swollen right at the edge of her vent, but on the inside of her body. Her vent is gaping open about the size of a dime for me to be able to see the pink tissue (on the inside, not protruding at all) and the poop. What is coming out of her looks totally normal in size, consistency and color. And her behavior is totally normal.

Thanks to all who have responded. I haven't been able to get a photo and today was extra rushed because the snow was starting. If anyone can give me any other ideas or explain exactly what a cloacal exam is, I'd love to learn.

Thank you very much!
Pam

A picture of this vent would be a good idea. From the description it sounds like a normal vent for when a hen is coming into, and in the process of being, in lay. The vent will swell, get loose and puffy and will gap open more than normal.

Though the pic below shows a vent that is a bit more red and swollen(hen had gleet issues) than normal it is still a good representation of what you may see when you look at a cloaca from a hen that is currently laying...this is an upside down shot as the hen is lying on her back and she has been washed and feathers clipped back:

 

[casportpony]

Sorry for your loss. You should consider sending her off for necropsy or you could do one yourself. Don't know about VA or MD, but CA does them for free.

Harrisonburg Regional Animal Health Laboratory
261 Mount Clinton Pike
Harrisonburg, VA 22802 Phone Fax 540-434-3880
http://www.vdacs.virginia.gov/animals/labservices.shtml

Frederick Animal Health Laboratory
1840 Rosemont Ave
Frederick, MD 21702 Phone 301-600-1548 Fax 301-600-6111
http://mda.maryland.gov/animalHealth/Pages/laboratory.aspx

More labs

• http://www.aphis.usda.gov/animal_health/nahln/downloads/all_nahln_lab_list.pdf

How I ship for necropsy

• https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/799747/how-to-send-a-bird-for-a-necropsy-pictures

How to necropsy

• http://ohioline.osu.edu/vme-fact/0012.html
• http://borlaug.tamu.edu/files/2012/03/Poultry-necropsy-Manual.pdf

-Kathy

 

[Beekissed]

In case anyone looking for information has come this far, I want to report that this hen died last night. After returning her to the flock, she resumed "normal" hen behavior, was the first to lay an egg after molting/short winter days, and generally seemed fine. I was concerned that about a week ago I picked her up and saw that her vent was still not "normal" looking--that it looked a lot like it had when we'd had her in the house--sort of permanently open with a bit of poo visible, but no skin, definitely no prolapse, sticking out. Being relatively new to chickens--she is part of our first flock and less than two years old--I thought maybe this was just "how she was." Then, when checking the flock after work one day, I could see she was very sick--purple comb, stability issues, using wings for balance. (When we let them out in the morning it is pitch black, so they don't usually come out--unable to know how she was that morning.) I immediately scooped her up and we took her inside. Couldn't find anything wrong--no wounds, nothing broken, only the unusual situation of her bum. We gave her a warm bath for her vent like we had before, dried her, and put her in the dog crate in our bedroom and she died overnight. I am perplexed and very saddened. The only thing either my husband or I can surmise is that either maybe she had worms (so we're worming the rest of them just in case) or else maybe it was something congenital. We lost one of her flock mates just a month or so prior also for no apparent reason. I have researched and researched here and elsewhere and I am convinced that she didn't have any of the typical poultry illnesses. (I have a Ph.D., so I know how to find answers.) We have no vet anywhere in our region who will see poultry, so we are stuck trying to fend for ourselves. I don't know if this will help anyone else, but I wanted to update this in case something somewhere in our troubles can save someone else some trouble or heartache. Thanks to all who previously responded to my original plea for help. The folks on this forum are a wonderful support network.

Did you cut her open and look inside?