What to do about red butt on chicken

[BarnDoorClosed]

The dissolve method is the only way to get it in her! I tried every other way possible and she wasn't having it!! So I put the liquid in a dropper so I can shoot it in her mouth, she isnt happy about it but it gets done. I use to take one asprin and mix it in as little water as possible but that was the hard way because no matter how much I stir or how long it sits, it's still gritty.gritty is hard to suck into my dropper. So now I take the small medicine cup that comes on top of children's medicine, and I fill that small cup with water and drop in 4 asprin tabs. I use that same cup for a few days then refill when empty. Daiky all I have to do is draw out a tiny amount of water and it has enough medicine in it for her without using as much water. It's my weird method but it works for us!

 

[BarnDoorClosed]

Firstly I would like to say that you have done really well to get a production bird to 9 years old. She must have some good genetics. I hope you have raised some chicks from her

To me her abdomen looks swollen as well as red. Have you compared it to other hens? This is best done at night whilst they are roosting, by cupping your hand between their legs from behind and feeling for any fullness. Unless her posture is more upright, that part of her body should not be coming into contact with the ground and poop sticking to it. My guess would be that it is her own poop snagging on her feathers because she is a little swollen. Poop would be sticking further forward if it was from resting frequently on soiled ground. Don't beat yourself up about clipping the feathers. Once poop gets caked on, it is like concrete and only a good long soak will get it off. A damp cloth will not do it and even then it is not practical to be getting her wet in the middle of winter. Those feathers are better removed so that you can see if there are any sores developing. The skin looks fine at the moment apart from the redness, which may be as much from exposure to the sun as the cold.... you don't specify your location, so I'm not sure if that is likely in your climate..... a person in California has a different idea of cold to someone in Alaska! I would just apply a good slather of Petroleum Jelly to keep the skin protected and supple or any other greasy ointment you have. I have a thick pink salve which is produced for wounds on horses and contains a little citronella to keep flies off and I use that for such things on chickens and it works great on scaly leg mite too, although your girl's legs clearly don't need that..... at 9 years old her legs look amazing!

As regards her problem with walking a couple of months ago, that sounds very much like an outbreak of Marek's disease to me. I have had several birds make limited or even full recovery from such sudden debility. Some took months to regain enough use to free range whilst others miraculously fully recovered after a few days. Most of what you read about Marek's is the worst case scenarios because those are usually the ones that get diagnosed (via necropsy when the bird dies) but there are milder strains where birds can recover from outbreaks but unfortunately will be prone to others in the future usually at times of stress. Your girl is old to be exhibiting the disease (it tends to hit adolescent birds most frequently), but it may be that now she is older her immune system is not so strong and it is surfacing or perhaps she has only recently been exposed to the virus this past summer. Of course it also may not be Marek's, it just sounds identical to how some of my Marek's birds have developed symptoms.

I would probably check and regularly monitor her breast condition.... feeling the breast bone area of the bird gives you an indication of their overall body condition. If the bird starts to lose muscle and the bone becomes prominent and sharp under the skin, that is a good indication that there is an underlying illness or internal problems. Muscle wastage is another symptom of Marek's, but like all Marek's symptoms, it may or may not happen. I would be inclined to give her some extra special treats like a little meat (a few small slivers of raw liver are good or cottage cheese or scrambled egg a couple of times a week and a good quality poultry vitamin supplement like Poultry Cell or Nutri Drench to support her immune system and a good slather of grease on that butt every couple of days.

Good luck with her.

After what you said about her abdomen looking swollen I checked her again. I think it is actually her abdomen! The red part is above her butthole. I dont know correct terms but you know what I'm saying. That being said I have done a lot of reading and from the literature I've come across, symptoms, and having her throughout her entire life(raised from a chick) I think she has fatty liver disease! Saddens me but doesn't mean she is dieing today either. I know there are changes I can make to herbduet how that can help a little but the main damage is done. Like I said I know what she has always eat that's why i think this is what it is. Was that your thoughts when you first saw the pic and have you had a chicken with this before?.

 

[rebrascora]

The red patch that you can see in the photo is definitely below her vent which is the term for a chicken anus/butt hole. I'm not sure why you would think it was above, unless there is a redder patch above which we cannot see in the photo.

I would be surprised if it was Fatty Liver Haemorrhagic Syndrome (my gut feeling is Salpingitis, since she is also having problems walking.... I think there may be a mass of infected egg/pus material (referred to as Lash Egg) inside her which is putting pressure on her sciatic nerve.
Fatty liver would usually result in ascites (water belly) which can be drained by inserting a large gauge needle (No 16ga) about 1/4inch into the lowest part of the belly and slowly drawing off the fluid. This video demonstrates really well how to do it....

Ascites can be caused by a number of ailments, Fatty Liver being just one, but personally I'm not convinced she has ascites from that photo, but the unusual way in which she is being held may make it appear other than it is. Can you get a photo of her standing on a table without being held, so that we can see her natural posture from behind. Ascites will hang low between her legs and make her belly feel like a water balloon. It will often cause respiratory distress when it becomes excessive.

 

[BarnDoorClosed]

The red patch that you can see in the photo is definitely below her vent which is the term for a chicken anus/butt hole. I'm not sure why you would think it was above, unless there is a redder patch above which we cannot see in the photo.

I would be surprised if it was Fatty Liver Haemorrhagic Syndrome (my gut feeling is Salpingitis, since she is also having problems walking.... I think there may be a mass of infected egg/pus material (referred to as Lash Egg) inside her which is putting pressure on her sciatic nerve.
Fatty liver would usually result in ascites (water belly) which can be drained by inserting a large gauge needle (No 16ga) about 1/4inch into the lowest part of the belly and slowly drawing off the fluid. This video demonstrates really well how to do it....

Ascites can be caused by a number of ailments, Fatty Liver being just one, but personally I'm not convinced she has ascites from that photo, but the unusual way in which she is being held may make it appear other than it is. Can you get a photo of her standing on a table without being held, so that we can see her natural posture from behind. Ascites will hang low between her legs and make her belly feel like a water balloon. It will often cause respiratory distress when it becomes excessive.

Sorry about the weird photo. My camera was on selfie mode and I was holding her kinda upside down to get a good view with one hand. I will get a pic like you said on a table of her today. I read about all the things you mentioned above. Sometimes when she bends over she also loses water from her mouth too. Not all the time just sometimes. Diagnosing a chicken is proving very difficult! The last 3 days now she has been up and moving around great, even laying eggs every other day again!! Its odd to me though. She will go weeks and be good like she is now, still with a hoppy walk, but even wanting to come out of the lot! Then she will go down hill where she just wants to stay in the lot and not even get up to eat until I sit her bun front of it. In the bad days she will not walk much at all. The bad last a week or two then she gets better. And repeat. Not sure if that helps but its very up and down with her.