[Lynne South]

We've had chickens for three years - some are three, some are two, a couple are one year old. Never noticed until a couple of months or so back but some of them were getting manky back ends and one of them had a very red back end. We wormed them with Flubenvet, and for three days each month I add Vormex to the feed. (Layers Pellets).

We thought it might be vent gleet and read that natural yoghurt (which we mixed with corn and they love) is good and also some vinegar in the water.

I'm just wondering if layers pellets is giving them all the nutrition they need or should we be giving them something else? They love berries (blueberries and raspberries) and we give them a few each day. Could that be the issue? They don't get any other normal food just their pellets and corn.

[Womble]

Have you tried cleaning them up first?  Once they get claggy, they tend to stay that way or get worse IME, even if their poop has gone back to normal.

If you soak their bums in a bucket of warm water, you should be able to loosen most of it and clean things up. Maybe also trim the feathers around the vent a bit if they have very fluffy bums. You may well find that if you can get them clean, they'll then stay that way of their own accord.

[Terry T]

We had something similar in certain hens.  We found that it cleared up during the bird flu lock down which made me suspect it was something in their free ranging diet. We also found it spread to other birds when we introduced a cockerel so possibly a contagous element?  Removing the cockerel reduced the problem. The bird that always had a problem did end up getting flystrike - something to watch out for.
Since she has died we have had no further problems. Sorry not to be more helpful.

[Marches Farmer]

I'd start by cleaning them up and giving only layers pellets for a while and see what happens.  Vermex is not an efficient wormer - try Flubenvet.

[Lynne South]

Thanks for the replies. Yes we do bath them so will carry on doing that.

We have wormed with with Flubenvent too.

Will restrict them to layers pellets and see if that makes a difference.

Thank you.

[Possum]

It does sound like vent gleet. The Chicken Vet recommends bathing in a solution of Epsom Salts and then applying Canestan cream. Cider vinegar in the drinking water also helps.