Written by Heather Zubiate
Back in May of 2014, I wrote an article about the possibility that Miss Olive either had vent gleet, or she was broody. I got off easy that time, as it turned out, Miss Olive was broody. This time, my luck has run out, because I think Myrtle has come down with this gnarly fungal infection. This time I won't be showing any hideous pictures of the condition, because I've decided that's what Google is for. What about seeing a vet? Well, if you can find one that won't charge you an arm and a leg, laugh at you for wanting them to treat your chicken, or one that even has a God blessed clue about chickens in the first place, then go for it. But it's been my experience that very few veterinarians meet all of these criteria. That means, as usual, I'm on my own and not entirely sure of the diagnosis. Thankfully, vent gleet isn't the killer that coccidia is.
The Symptoms
So what are the symptoms of vent gleet?
- decreased energy
- diarrhea
- drop, or stop in egg production
- Loss of vent feathers
- pasted poopy feathers (white, grey, even green)
- red or bloody vent
- stinky whitish discharge from vent
- smelly droppings
- soft, swollen abdomen
- sour crop ( thrush/crop yeast infection)
- weight loss/ appetite loss
- white sores on the vent and/or in the throat (thrush)
Now remember, your girl(s) may only have a few of these symptoms, but wouldn't it be nice if they had all of them? Well, not nice, but it would certainly be helpful in narrowing down the possibilities of other illnesses with similar symptoms. Anyway, let's not forget what we are dealing with here, vent gleet is a fungal infection; NOT a bacterial infection. Let's try to remember what we learned in science class back in the day. There are bacterial, fungal and viral infections. Neither of them are treated the same way. Well, that is a little too simplified, so let me go a little deeper. The fungus, or yeast causing the vent gleet has gotten out of control because of an imbalance of good and bad bacteria in your chickens G.I tract. This happened for a reason so I need to fix the root of the problem. Stress, filth, rotten food and dirty water are major causes of illness.
I recently read a comment from a retired R.N. on a chicken forum that said vent gleet isn't just fungal, but can also be a bacterial infection, or brought on by worms. Is that true? I haven't found any information to support that claim, but I have found that when a hen's digestive system (good/bad bacteria ratio) is out of wack, that is when the hen is more susceptible to other pathogens, such as bacterial infections and parasites. It's the age ol' question of finding out what caused what.
Dear reader, just because someone says they are in the medical profession, that doesn't mean they know what they are talking about. There is a lot of bad science out there as well as bad doctors and nurses. Remember the likes of Frank Burns on M.A.S.H.? So if something a vet, or nurse advises or says doesn't sit well with you, trust your instincts. What this nurse said regarding the cause of vent gleet rubbed me the wrong way, her information wasn't correct. Since sour crop and the subsequent illness of vent gleet are fungal infections, that means the sole use of antibiotics are COMPLETELY USELESS in the treatment of vent gleet! No. that's not true, they will help the vent gleet get WORSE!
Dear reader, just because someone says they are in the medical profession, that doesn't mean they know what they are talking about. There is a lot of bad science out there as well as bad doctors and nurses. Remember the likes of Frank Burns on M.A.S.H.? So if something a vet, or nurse advises or says doesn't sit well with you, trust your instincts. What this nurse said regarding the cause of vent gleet rubbed me the wrong way, her information wasn't correct. Since sour crop and the subsequent illness of vent gleet are fungal infections, that means the sole use of antibiotics are COMPLETELY USELESS in the treatment of vent gleet! No. that's not true, they will help the vent gleet get WORSE!
As treatments go, there are medical treatments, and then there are natural treatments. It is up to you to decide which way to go, but like I've said before, most vets are clueless about chicken diseases and treatments. Why pay a vet big bucks to guess, when you can do that for free? Why pay a vet to make your bird's condition worse, when you can do that without years of expensive medical training? As much as I despise the amount of frustrating, contradicting, or even misinformation you find on forums, you'd have a good, if not better, chance of success sifting through them for answers than relying on a vet who simply doesn't care. Seriously.
Treatments
Medical Treatments
Now I must make a bit of a disclaimer here. I am not completley opposed to veterin-arians and their medical treatments, many of them do a lot of good. But their knowledge and treatments are limited by their experience. If they have no experience in dealing with poultry, and they are not the least bit interested in learning about them, then move on. Not much is worse than a person who lacks curiosity, or refuses to learn something new related to their chosen field, or vocation.
Now I must make a bit of a disclaimer here. I am not completley opposed to veterin-arians and their medical treatments, many of them do a lot of good. But their knowledge and treatments are limited by their experience. If they have no experience in dealing with poultry, and they are not the least bit interested in learning about them, then move on. Not much is worse than a person who lacks curiosity, or refuses to learn something new related to their chosen field, or vocation.
If your vet suspects, or actually diagnoses vent gleet, but only prescribes an antibiotic (like Baytril), grab your bird and run for the door! Why? Don't antibiotics kill bacteria? Yes! But we've already established that vent gleet is a fungal issue, not bacterial. Antibiotics kill ALL bacteria, both good and bad. And in this case, that is BAD! We want to keep the good, and eliminate the bad. Fungal/yeast infections rear their ugly spores when there is an imbalance in the ratio of good and bad bacteria, so don't help the bad guys win by killing the good guys.
A good vet who feels it is necessary to prescribe an antibiotic will also prescribe an anti-fungal called Nystatin, or something similar. I can't tell you how many times I've per- sonally taken antibiotics to knock out a bacterial problem and was then rewarded with a yeast infection. "Yay," right ladies? After 20 plus years of being personally responsible for my health, I've finally learned to ask for the yeast infection treatment at the Dr.'s office along with my antibiotic prescription. And so, it is my opinion (gained by experience), that bacterial infections and yeast infections can go hand in hand. But in this case, it is far better to knock out the yeast, and then help populate the good bacteria with probiotics, like the ones found in plain yogurt, rather than kill all the bacteria with antibiotics.
A good vet who feels it is necessary to prescribe an antibiotic will also prescribe an anti-fungal called Nystatin, or something similar. I can't tell you how many times I've per- sonally taken antibiotics to knock out a bacterial problem and was then rewarded with a yeast infection. "Yay," right ladies? After 20 plus years of being personally responsible for my health, I've finally learned to ask for the yeast infection treatment at the Dr.'s office along with my antibiotic prescription. And so, it is my opinion (gained by experience), that bacterial infections and yeast infections can go hand in hand. But in this case, it is far better to knock out the yeast, and then help populate the good bacteria with probiotics, like the ones found in plain yogurt, rather than kill all the bacteria with antibiotics.
I have heard of vets prescribing Nystatin oral liquid suspension as a sole cure for vent gleet. That's a better way to go rather than just antibiotics. If the problem is really sever, or there are other complications, then by all means, go with both the antibiotic and the anti fungal. Amazingly, some vets have never heard of Nystatin, or have a hard time getting some, which boggles the mind. A doctor in this day and age having a hard time acquiring drugs and medicine in America? That's crazy talk!
Anyway, dosage is very important with any drug, so if you don't know how much to give your bird(s), don't guess! Unfortunately, I don't have that information right now, but I'm sure after hours of internet surfing, you'll find someone who might know what they are talking about. Or if the bottle has dosing information on the back, all the better. Okay, so the label may mention (metric) tons and large herds, but if you have a scale (to weigh your bird), a clean (metric) syringe, are good at math or can operate a calculator, then you are well on your way to proper dosing!
Anyway, dosage is very important with any drug, so if you don't know how much to give your bird(s), don't guess! Unfortunately, I don't have that information right now, but I'm sure after hours of internet surfing, you'll find someone who might know what they are talking about. Or if the bottle has dosing information on the back, all the better. Okay, so the label may mention (metric) tons and large herds, but if you have a scale (to weigh your bird), a clean (metric) syringe, are good at math or can operate a calculator, then you are well on your way to proper dosing!
Natural treatments
Natural treatments can fall into the category of quackery. But not all natural treatments are snake oil, some have been tested, tried and proven effect over decades or hundreds of years and have something even better going for them, it's known as horse sense. Okay, enough of the animal metaphors. Here are some of those tried and true treatments:
- bathing the affected hen in warm water to clean the vent area (no soap!)
- apply anti-fungal (like coconut oil) to vent area to sooth and heal irritated skin
- adding 2-4 Tablespoons/gallon of apple cider vinegar with the 'mother' (such as Bragg's) to their water (non metal container please!)
- give each affected hen 1 Tablespoon of plain unflavored yogurt per day
The Myths
And now I will tackle some grey areas in the crazy world of natural remedies. I say crazy because there are some mythical and unreliable cures out there, and here are some I've run across. I'm sure there are more, but I will deal with what I know for now.
And now I will tackle some grey areas in the crazy world of natural remedies. I say crazy because there are some mythical and unreliable cures out there, and here are some I've run across. I'm sure there are more, but I will deal with what I know for now.
Epsom salt. Epsom salt is magnesium sulfate, and it's not on any chemical electrolyte list I can find. While magnesium itself is an electrolyte that helps the uptake of calcium, and relieves pain, I wouldn't use it in this case, other than maybe putting it in the soaking bath. It may do more harm than good by using it internally. Epsom salt is not an anti-fungal, and won't add anything really beneficial. Over dosing can be a problem, as it puts a strain on the birds kidneys, but if you have your heart set on using it, consult your vet.
Molasses. I know there are some very reliable chickeners who advise the use of molasses in treating vent gleet and even sour crop, but again, that doesn't make them right. I'm a baker and I can tell you for a true blue fact that yeast (fungi) adore sugar, and use it for food, and food helps them multiply. No sugar, no food, yeast dies! Any vitamins or minerals that molasses may provide does not out weigh this fact. It makes no sense to feed that which you are trying to get rid of -- the yeast, not your bird.
Molasses. I know there are some very reliable chickeners who advise the use of molasses in treating vent gleet and even sour crop, but again, that doesn't make them right. I'm a baker and I can tell you for a true blue fact that yeast (fungi) adore sugar, and use it for food, and food helps them multiply. No sugar, no food, yeast dies! Any vitamins or minerals that molasses may provide does not out weigh this fact. It makes no sense to feed that which you are trying to get rid of -- the yeast, not your bird.
Diatomaceous earth (DE). This stuff has been touted as a cure all for far too long. I would love to do many clinical trials on this stuff to either prove or disprove its effectiveness, but I would feel extremely guilty about all of the pain and suffering, and deaths that would most likely occur as a result, even for the sake of science. For now, this stuff is only good for sopping up spills, as far as I'm concerned.
While natural treatments are less expensive, they can take longer to work. For those of us who hate waiting, and want instant results, well, all I can say is patience is a virtue.
It should be comforting to know that if you have caught the vent gleet early, then time is on your side. If the vent gleet is more sever, a mixture of medical and natural treatments is most likely the be the best way to go.
It should be comforting to know that if you have caught the vent gleet early, then time is on your side. If the vent gleet is more sever, a mixture of medical and natural treatments is most likely the be the best way to go.
Prevention
Obviously my prevention plan is severely lacking. In short, I've been lazy! (sigh)
A clean coop/run, waterer, and feeder go a very long way in preventing a lot of diseases. Good nutrition is another obvious preventative. I can honestly and ashamedly say that I have been lazy on all of these subjects. As my husband would say regarding my admis-sion, "And that's what you get!" Yes dear reader, I know better, so I have absolutely no excuses. The ones who ultimately suffer by my lazy hands are my little birds, and yes I suffer too, knowing that I helped cause their illness and even death.
Caring for animals is far more challenging than caring for people, because they can't talk back to you. I will never hear my hens say, "Hey you lazy goat, you need to clean my coop, it stinks!" Or, "This chow tastes kinda funny." You simply cannot be lazy if you want healthy animals. Shame on me. I'm pretty confident that Myrtle will pull through, but I have to be prepared for the worst. She may not have what I think she has, it may be something else entirely, and she may die. This is yet another wake up call for me. Fortunatley, laziness is 100% curable. Thank God for that!
A clean coop/run, waterer, and feeder go a very long way in preventing a lot of diseases. Good nutrition is another obvious preventative. I can honestly and ashamedly say that I have been lazy on all of these subjects. As my husband would say regarding my admis-sion, "And that's what you get!" Yes dear reader, I know better, so I have absolutely no excuses. The ones who ultimately suffer by my lazy hands are my little birds, and yes I suffer too, knowing that I helped cause their illness and even death.
Caring for animals is far more challenging than caring for people, because they can't talk back to you. I will never hear my hens say, "Hey you lazy goat, you need to clean my coop, it stinks!" Or, "This chow tastes kinda funny." You simply cannot be lazy if you want healthy animals. Shame on me. I'm pretty confident that Myrtle will pull through, but I have to be prepared for the worst. She may not have what I think she has, it may be something else entirely, and she may die. This is yet another wake up call for me. Fortunatley, laziness is 100% curable. Thank God for that!
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