Swollen red bulge beneath vent

[Heidi Lee]

Can anyone tell me what's happening with my 2-year-old Leghorn? She just laid a well-formed egg. These photos were taken after I washed her backside with Dawn and applied Vetricin and an antifungal ointment. I suspect the problem is on the inside though. The bulge below her vent is red, hot, and soft. She is walking around normally. What could this be?

 

[Tookie]

How is she doing?
The bump is not an egg, right?

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Can anyone tell me what's happening with my 2-year-old Leghorn? She just laid a well-formed egg. These photos were taken after I washed her backside with Dawn and applied Vetricin and an antifungal ointment. I suspect the problem is on the inside though. The bulge below her vent is red, hot, and soft. She is walking around normally. What could this be?

Why did you need to wash her?

She may have laid internally or has some EYP. Hard to know.
Maybe a hernia.
If she's acting normal, eating/drinking, laying eggs, relatively active, then I'd monitor her.

She may develop some symptoms as time goes by or if you lose her, opening that area up and taking a look would tell you what it is.

 

[Heidi Lee]

I washed her because she had some poop stuck to her feathers. I now wonder if the other hens are pecking at her in the coop. Their pecking order is in disarray due to the loss of our rooster and two other hens, plus the addition of a newly hatched chick. I separated her for the night.

 

[Heidi Lee]

How is she doing?
The bump is not an egg, right?

No, it’s not an egg—nothing hard there.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I washed her because she had some poop stuck to her feathers. I now wonder if the other hens are pecking at her in the coop. Their pecking order is in disarray due to the loss of our rooster and two other hens, plus the addition of a newly hatched chick. I separated her for the night.

Doesn't look like pecking damage, it's just a bulge which is not that uncommon in laying hens. Often no one even sees this unless feathers get wet, like you noticed when you bathed and cleaned her up.
It may be fat, tumor, some exude in the abdomen...no way to know unless you lose her and investigate further.
If she's eating/drinking/active/laying eggs, crop is emptying, no lice/mites, then I'd put her back with her flock after a night of observation.

Anytime there's a change within the flock, there can be a bit of drama, usually these things get settled in a short period of time.

 

[Heidi Lee]

Doesn't look like pecking damage, it's just a bulge which is not that uncommon in laying hens. Often no one even sees this unless feathers get wet, like you noticed when you bathed and cleaned her up.
It may be fat, tumor, some exude in the abdomen...no way to know unless you lose her and investigate further.
If she's eating/drinking/active/laying eggs, crop is emptying, no lice/mites, then I'd put her back with her flock after a night of observation.

Anytime there's a change within the flock, there can be a bit of drama, usually these things get settled in a short period of time.

Ok, thank you. I’ll monitor her.

 

[TannerTrue]

I’m having the same problem with one of my hens. I’m curious if you got any answers.