Very long term poopy butt

[Cindilong]

Hi. I have a very nice huge black Jersey Giant year old hen. She lays lovely eggs. She has had poopy but from the time she was about 7 weeks old. I have done all kinds of different things, trim her butt feathers, give her electrolytes, give her probiotics, give her yogurt, and I was going to see about treating for potential coccidia and other parasites but I had two heart attacks, One Last Summer and One Last fall, and so I never really did anything else. This whole time she has lived with my entire flock of around 35 other hens. Nobody else has poopy butt, everybody seems fine, healthy,

I did have one hen die recently, I posted pictures and you guys thought maybe it was wet pox but the hen didn't have any upper respiratory symptoms, more like just one abscess on the side of her beak, and I couldn't even take her body in for a necropsy because it disappeared, I'm assuming she died out in her pasture and a Buzzard got her, or maybe she was slow when a hawk flew over. I never found her body so I don't really know. That was a couple of months ago though. Nobody else looks sick. Nobody even gets poopy butt. I did post about that chick who might have Marek's or some other neurological issue, but she hasn't been with the main flock yet.

So my question is, obviously it's not hurting this hen. She is huge, healthy, beautiful, shiny feathers, and apparently she's not infecting anyone else because of how long has this been going on. So do you guys see any downside to just continuing to not do anything? I spent all of April May and June last year trying different things and then I had my first heart attack. I'll attach a picture from today that's not super good. Then I'll be back after looking around because I have a picture from last year when it was the worst and it was terrible. I forgot to mention last year she actually blew a huge abscess nearby her vent. I thought for sure she was going to die but I was just too sick to do anything about it and she never once looked like she was suffering.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

she never once looked like she was suffering.

As prey animals they will hide ANY suffering or weakness just as long as they possibly can in order to avoid becoming lunch. Also showing weakness can get you bullied by the flock or even eliminated and cannibalized.

I had one hen like that... checked fecals for parasite load and did all the stuff you mention to no avail. I do keep roosters and breed my stock.. so I ended up culling even though she seem otherwise healthy. I don't like poo smeared on (hatching) eggs and don't want issues breeding forward. Since it's just one of your gals... seems like an individual issue to me. Her bumm doesn't look red or inflamed... *sometimes* poo butt can be an indicator of mites/lice, which would usually include the red swollen skin in that area under heavy load. Maybe she simply doesn't squat well enough?

Anyways, if it isn't an issue for you and doesn't seem to be effecting the rest of your flock or her quality of life... she still hangs with the group, eats, drinks, poops, lays, forages.. then it's just unsightly and not ideal.

Growing older is scary to me. Heart attacks must have been terrifying. Glad you made it!