What are the Cause(s) of Vent Gleet?

[Lemon-Drop]

I'm just curious... I have a couple hens who just always seem to have vent gleet (poop stuck around the vent)

Currently I just trim the floof around the vent of the affected hens.

Is there a specific cause/something I can do to get rid of it? I did a little bit of searching-I found treatments but didn't see much on the cause.

Just a little background on the flock:
15 hens, 1 rooster, 7 chicks
Age varies from 1 week to 5 years
I feed Purina Flock Raiser pellets, free choice, with oyster shell on the side. Very occasional treats-maybe a handful of scratch a month/16 chickens, plus some scraps (such as apple peels, lettuce, and strawberry tops every once in a while. (Maybe a cup or two weekly...?) plus whatever they find while foraging. I also occasionally grow some fodder for them.
The one with the worst vent gleet is a 10-month-old buff/partridge silkie pullet, no symptoms of other health issues.


The rest of the chickens are good.

Thanks!

 

[Aunt Angus]

They're basically chicken yeast infections. It takes a long time to get rid of. Gotta treat it with something like monistat or nystatin/medistatin.

 

[Lady of McCamley]

Poop around the vent is not necessarily a sign of "vent gleet." It simply signs of loose stools. So first, it is important to check the possibility of worms as that is usually the cause of loose stools.

True vent gleet is caused by yeast overgrowth. The vent area becomes very red and swollen with a white, runny discharge as well as crusty poo. It can also smell yeasty or worse. Treatment for mild to moderate is feeding the hen yogurt and spraying her bum with tinactin or similar lotrimin spray. Severe cases need med from the vet (nystatin).

Putting apple cider vinegar (raw, with the mother, never in metal containers) can help acidify the system as well.

I'll post a good vent gleet article for you below.

LofMc

https://www.tillysnest.com/2012/12/vent-gleet-prevention-and-treatment-html/

 

[Lemon-Drop]

They're basically chicken yeast infections. It takes a long time to get rid of. Gotta treat it with something like monistat or nystatin/medistatin.

Poop around the vent is not necessarily a sign of "vent gleet." It simply signs of loose stools. So first, it is important to check the possibility of worms as that is usually the cause of loose stools.

True vent gleet is caused by yeast overgrowth. The vent area becomes very red and swollen with a white, runny discharge as well as crusty poo. It can also smell yeasty or worse. Treatment for mild to moderate is feeding the hen yogurt and spraying her bum with tinactin or similar lotrimin spray. Severe cases need med from the vet (nystatin).

Putting apple cider vinegar (raw, with the mother, never in metal containers) can help acidify the system as well.

I'll post a good vent gleet article for you below.

LofMc

https://www.tillysnest.com/2012/12/vent-gleet-prevention-and-treatment-html/

Oh, thank you! I don’t think it’s actually vent gleet, then. It’s just lots of poop in the feathers by her vent.


I don’t *think* it’s worms. They haven’t showed any other symptoms and it’s been like this even when we’ve dewormed them.

Are there any other causes?

 

[Aunt Angus]

Diarrhea can cause poopy feathers. Watery poop can be caused by anything from bacteria to diet to warm weather. Have they been eating anything different? How do their poops look? My birds get watery poop sometimes after eating watermelon or cantaloupe - stuff with high water content.

I read somewhere high protein diets can cause it, too, but I cannot speak to the validity of that.

 

[Lemon-Drop]

Diarrhea can cause poopy feathers. Watery poop can be caused by anything from bacteria to diet to warm weather.

Have they been eating anything different?

Not that I know of-and she’s had it as long as I can remember.

How do their poops look? My birds get watery poop sometimes after eating watermelon or cantaloupe - stuff with high water content.

I don’t know how her exact poop looks-but generally the flock has nicely formed dropping with white urates.

I read somewhere high protein diets can cause it, too, but I cannot speak to the validity of that.

Hmm, that’s interesting! My girls do get flock raiser, which has 20% protein. (I think that’s on the higher end of most chicken feeds)
Thanks for the information!

 

[Lady of McCamley]

Diet can definitely cause problems. You might try putting them on layer feed which typically is 16% protein. This one hen may have problems with it.

Since she's always had it, I suspect dietary or digestive issues. I had a couple of hens that I got from a breeder that ALWAYS had really large, pale poop. I put them on medicated chick feed, and it would get more normal. Sometimes a really mild coccidia infestation can cause diarrhea and abnormal poop. You also might try medicated chick feed.

Good luck tracking it down.
LofMc

 

[Aunt Angus]

Diet can definitely cause problems. You might try putting them on layer feed which typically is 16% protein. This one hen may have problems with it.

Since she's always had it, I suspect dietary or digestive issues. I had a couple of hens that I got from a breeder that ALWAYS had really large, pale poop. I put them on medicated chick feed, and it would get more normal. Sometimes a really mild coccidia infestation can cause diarrhea and abnormal poop. You also might try medicated chick feed.

Good luck tracking it down.
LofMc

That's interesting about trying the medicated chick feed. Never thought about coccidia.

 

[Honey Meadows]

That's interesting about trying the medicated chick feed. Never thought about coccidia.

I have dewormed my chickens and I have 2 hens with something like this. I think it started after they began mating. I gave them monistat up the vent and the first time, one laid an egg a short while later. The other faithfully lays daily. Their poops just get stuck under the vent and I'm not sure why. Sometimes, whitish liquid will leak out of the faithful layer if I hold her and she relaxes. I'll try the medicated feed for a week and see if that helps. They are sort of free range - in pasture paddock system.

Was wondering if this is a common problem?