Tips For Vent Gleet Please

[josephinefarmsw]

I have two hens with vent gleet. They have crusty yellow hard vents that smell awful. I knew what it was when I saw it. What is puzzling me is why two would have it…

We had a sudden freeze and snow - which doesn’t happen much in PNW, followed by very hard rain for what felt like weeks. Lots of stress. Lots of moisture….ugh. My flock was visibly weathered after all that.

I am giving them both epsom baths with tea tree oil twice daily - and am applying over the counter Monistat 2-3 times daily. They already seem to be improving. I also have Nystatin powder on the way in the mail. They are eating yogurt and scrambled eggs. They have vitamins in their water. I have isolated the two affected hens. Also working on a big clean of the whole area with fresh cedar shavings on the ground. Scrubbing out everything and purchased a feeder that keeps food from ending up in the ground. They have a huge covered run as well as a large pasture to move about in.

Here are my questions:

1. Could it be our cockerel spreading it? He doesn’t display any signs and has been with us awhile and I’ve never seen any problems.

2. During the storms, a lot of food was getting knocked over…could general moisture/bacteria/ weakened systems due to stress have caused it?

3. If it’s the cockerel - will the Nystatin powder help him as well?

4. Do the hens stop laying when they have vent gleet? I sure hope so. Worried about stuck eggs.

5. It’s not contagious, is it?

I realize the vet is going to have the best help. But I don’t have an avian vet nearby. The closest one is over and hour and after many years of chicken keeping I try and self treat if possible. So I’d love any tips or advice. I feel confident about how to treat, just not confident on sorting out the cause.

 

[Debbie292d]

Hi,

You're treating them pretty well already! I'd only give one more suggestion to get some probiotic powder to mix in their water and give them ALL that every other day for a couple of weeks, then just once or twice a week thereafter to keep it at bay. We use Hydro Hen, but there are many brands of it.

1. Could it be our cockerel spreading it? He doesn’t display any signs and has been with us awhile and I’ve never seen any problems. Not likely.

2. During the storms, a lot of food was getting knocked over…could general moisture/bacteria/ weakened systems due to stress have caused it? Very probable.

3. If it’s the cockerel - will the Nystatin powder help him as well? If he has vent gleet, yes.

4. Do the hens stop laying when they have vent gleet? I sure hope so. Worried about stuck eggs. Less eggs is usually typical of a hen with vent gleet.

5. It’s not contagious, is it? Vent gleet is not considered contagious.

 

[Eggcessive]

Do they have missing feathers around the vent area, or is there any leaking of urates constantly? Have you noticed any feather picking or vent pecking? Do you have any pictures of the vent area of the two hens?

 

[josephinefarmsw]

Do they have missing feathers around the vent area, or is there any leaking of urates constantly? Have you noticed any feather picking or vent pecking? Do you have any pictures of the vent area of the two hens?

I don’t have any pictures, but I feel very confident it’s gleet. No missing feathers at all, but smell, hard yellow vents and lotsa messy diarrhea. They seem very happy when in warm bath.

 

[josephinefarmsw]

Hi,

You're treating them pretty well already! I'd only give one more suggestion to get some probiotic powder to mix in their water and give them ALL that every other day for a couple of weeks, then just once or twice a week thereafter to keep it at bay. We use Hydro Hen, but there are many brands of it.

1. Could it be our cockerel spreading it? He doesn’t display any signs and has been with us awhile and I’ve never seen any problems. Not likely.

2. During the storms, a lot of food was getting knocked over…could general moisture/bacteria/ weakened systems due to stress have caused it? Very probable.

3. If it’s the cockerel - will the Nystatin powder help him as well? If he has vent gleet, yes.

4. Do the hens stop laying when they have vent gleet? I sure hope so. Worried about stuck eggs. Less eggs is usually typical of a hen with vent gleet.

5. It’s not contagious, is it? Vent gleet is not considered contagious.

Thank you! Hydro-Hen sounds like a great idea!