Dirty vent

[foxy]

Icemaiden: when washing hens I use a gentle baby shampoo, then rinse well in warm water, leave wrapped in a towel to remove excess water then I use a hairdryer on a low setting. Once completely dried and fluffy they are let outside again. The others may notice a different smell but this shouldn't trigger any bullying behaviour from the others.You may want to trim a few feathers if this is a recurring problem. Sudacreme is useful if the outside skin is a bit sore looking. It would also be a good idea to get to the bottom (s'cuse the pun! ) of her loose droppings.
The cloaca can be prone to harbouring a few nasties, and due to the fact of being so far from the top of the digestive tract, ACV and other acidifiers are neutralised before getting that far down. A good probiotic designed for chooks can help...Avipro plus or Beryls Friendly bacteria are effective. If there is an underlying infection (usually fungal) this will need to addressed first. I have to say these problems can be managed but long term outcomes are not generally very positive.

 

[BabyBantam]

Sorry that Nancy is a bit uncomfortable. It sounds like the cloaca which is basically a "holding area" has got a bit infected. As chickens just have a single area for eliminating both solids and urine if there is an imbalance it is not unusual for an infection to set in. Some birds are more prone than others and particularly this time of year during moulting. Has the vet taken any swabs of any kind?

Vet said that there was little point in taking swab as there would be so many bugs in the swab, it would be too hard to identify what the issue was.
Was told to clean round vent with warm water and carry on with sudecreme if I wanted, as hibiscrub is too strong and hurts her too much to use. I was planning to feed her yogart as well as continue with the avipro to see if I could help with a bacterial imbalence, but antibiotics will counteract it so not much point.
Vet also said the area needed to "cap" and stop weeping for it to get better, but no idea how to stop this other than hoping. The scab looks like a solid yellow flappy bogey (sorry) poking out of vent that comes away in bits with a cotten bud, but hurts her to pick at.
What would you do to try and clear the fungal side?

 

[BabyBantam]

BabyBantam: one of my pullets has a similar problem, with soiled bottom feathers (& the runs this morning). I've never given a hen a bath before, so please excuse the naive questions: if I bathe her in warm water with a little shower gel or bubble bath, do I need to rinse her in clean water afterwards to get the soap out of her feathers? Will she get picked on by the others for smelling different afterwards?
Do I need to wash her first thing in the morning so that her feathers have time to dry before bed, in case she won't let me give her a blow-dry
(though with the wind the way it is this week, she'll get a cold blow dry frm the weather, if I don't give her a warm one...)?

I put a few inches of warm baby bubbles in a bowl and lower her in slowly - usually messy when she starts flapping. i use cotton buds and pads to clean the vent area, then rinse. if you wrap her in a towel with head and bum hanging out each end, you can then easily access vent area to clean anything up whilst shes dripping - Dont squeeze the feathers though or you'll damage them.
Hairdriers are scary, so go slowly and watch her eyes for how scared she is. Also use a warm / cold setting and keep your hand in the jet to check its not getting too hot for her. Nancy can only tolerate this for so long, so i do it in a couple of go's and drop her back into the garden to have a dig & get muddy again before she goes back to the others.
I've not had a bullying issue with her smelling different though, as she usually smells awful, so I'm sure my other ladies just give a sigh of relief that she smells better

 

[BabyBantam]

I am so happy. This morning comes with good news.
The scab has broken up and a large part of it broken or been picked off. Skin under it looks new a bit weepy, but healthy. Poor girl has been bathed, prodded, poked and slapped with cream daily for weeks, but is still hoovering up food and full of life.
I think we may have just turned a corner