What the heck is on my chicken's butt???

[Cntrygrl wannab]

This hen is about 2 years old and has had this chronic issue. One other hen died and I'm afraid it might have been caused by whatever this is. I only have this fully grown hen, and now have 9 chicks who are 7 weeks old. I don't want to move them in to the coop until this is resolved for fear of passing it on. It doesn't seem to be parasites, and it doesn't look like the pictures of "icky butt" that I saw in the learning center. She is missing feathers and has at times had a very red bottom, in addition to this gunk. She lays nice eggs on a consistent basis, is eating really well, and appears healthy otherwise.
I've been putting probiotics in her water, occasionally ACV and giving her plain yogurt.
Please advise! PS. I'm a newby to the site!

 

[Abriana]

She could have vent gleet, where poop collects around the vent and can kill the hen if left. You can soak her in warm epsom salt water in an old but clean bucket or other container. I read that the remedy to the problem would be to cull (kill) the hen but if you love your chickens like i do, you can keep taking care of it. You can also cut away the poop with old scissors. I have two hens with this problem and i have only had to cut away once, which is easier and faster than soaking, and they haven't gotten bad so I haven't done anything, but they are healthy otherwise and i am prepared to take care of it if it gets bad again. You should check the hens once and a while for this problem.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Hi

Welcome To BYC

It looks like she has poop stuck to her feathers. Give her a soak in some warm soapy water (dish liquid works well). Let the poop get soft and then work the soapy water through the bum feathers. For stubborn poop clumps, either trim them out or use a pair of pliers to crush the clumps to break them up - being careful not to pinch, pull or cut the fragile skin.

She looks very fluffy, so you may want to trim the fluff around the vent so the poop doesn't hang up so badly in the feathers.

 

[Cntrygrl wannab]

Thanks Abriana. I feel like that must be what it is, but it doesn't look like the pictures on the website here, so I wondered if there was something else it might be. I definitely won't culling her!!!!

 

[Cntrygrl wannab]

Wyorp Rock, would the poop stuck to the feathers cause feathers to fall out? Her bottom seems to be missing feathers to me. She is very fluffy in that area because some of her feathers have been growing back while I've been treating her.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Wyorp Rock, would the poop stuck to the feathers cause feathers to fall out? Her bottom seems to be missing feathers to me. She is very fluffy in that area because some of her feathers have been growing back while I've been treating her.

She could be plucking at the poopy feathers and pulling them out, trying to clean and preen herself or another hen could be plucking at that area too - things stuck on a bum seems to draw attention.
Feathers that are completely plucked out will grow back in, so she won't have to wait until molt.

It's fairly common to trim some of the excess fluff if necessary. Some hens don't "shoot the poop" far enough to clear the fluff. I have one that is a mess if I don't trim her fluff. fwiw- if you trim the fluff when it's dry wear a mask - it's very fine and floats all over the place - you don't need to be breathing all of the fluff in.