Vent gleet....again?! Nasty pictures warning!!

[ChickenCanoe]

double post

 

[ChickenCanoe]

I went to a vet that specializes in livestock and she had NO idea what was going on with my chicken. She said she hadn’t treated a chicken in like 20 years. Needless to say, I feel like I have no resources out here so I am grateful for this forum!

I just gave my chickens worm medicine if that helps?

Also, I noticed the chicken who has it the worst is now like having liquid just drip down out of her bum. It came on SO quickly this time!...Or maybe it never really went away.

Sometimes a messy vent area can be from worms. And in a warm moist climate like SC, it is probably a good idea to worm on a schedule. The problem is if you don't know what kind of worms the chicken has you may not be using the right medication. That's where the fecal sample comes in. Virtually any vet should be able to do a competent job at reading a fecal sample, find pathogens and identify them. In fact, I know lots of vet techs who are good at it. Another problem is, it is hard to find a vet that has any interest in treating chickens. Even among good avian vets, it is hard to find one with any poultry experience. A vet should know that a messy, seeping cloaca points to an intestinal problem of some sort.
There were once over 20 vet schools with a poultry program. I think we're down to only about 5 in the country. So poultry care is not taught widely. Those who do graduate from those programs mostly work for big Ag.
I once had one of my flocks that almost all had really messy back ends. I considered treating for large roundworms but chose to have a fecal sample read first. I went through all the local vets and none would do so without seeing "the patient". I finally found a large animal farm vet about an hour away who agreed to see a sample without 'the patient'. It turned out they didn't have worms but did have a severe clostridia bacterial infection. He gave me tetracycline which cleared up the problem (trouble was I had to dispose of all the eggs for two weeks after the week of treatment.

Should you lose a bird, send it to your state poultry lab for necropsy to find out exactly what you are dealing with. Since it is an ongoing problem, perhaps a better option is to hand carry your sickest bird to the lab for humane euthanasia and lab work. This is one of the labs for SC but there may be more and this lab would know of them.

Clemson Veterinary Diagnostic Center
500 Clemson Road
Columbia, South Carolina 29229-4306
Phone: 803-788-2260

I appreciate the fact that you tried to introduce probiotics with the yogurt.
Since you've already given at least one course of antibiotics, that has wiped out all the good gut bacteria. The vent gleet isn't likely to be a thing of the past till you can reestablish that. A great product I've found formulated specifically for chickens and contains both bacteria and yeast for a healthy gut. Gro2Max powder.

 

[Eggcessive]

A really good wormer that gets most possible worms is Valbazen. Dosage is 1/2 ml orally and again in 10-14 days to get the worm eggs. Some also use SafeGuard Liquid Goat Wormer 1/4 ml per pound given orally for 5 straight days.

 

[ChristinaE]

I just gave them worm meds so I shouldn’t give them more, right?

 

[Eggcessive]

What did you give them for worming?

 

[ChristinaE]

What did you give them for worming?

A neighbor gave it to me. It’s called Wazine-17.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

A neighbor gave it to me. It’s called Wazine-17.

That will only treat large roundworms. Hence the recommendation for a fecal reading.
If you don't know if they have worms or what species, you may treat with the wrong medication.
Try sending a sample to your state poultry lab, they should get it right.

 

[ChristinaE]

That will only treat large roundworms. Hence the recommendation for a fecal reading.
If you don't know if they have worms or what species, you may treat with the wrong medication.
Try sending a sample to your state poultry lab, they should get it right.

OK! Thank you so much!