# Poo on vent feathers



## Pinkter (Aug 19, 2012)

I cleaned up my hen who had poo stuck on the feathers below her vent. I washed it all off and trimmed the feathers so they wouldn't trap any more poo. She went from a perfectly normal chicken to acting very ill. She sits and slumps, her comb is purple, she is just lethargic. I didn't cut her or trim feathers too close. Any ideas?


----------



## dawg53 (Aug 25, 2015)

Inspect her closely for external parasites particularly around the vent area. Mites suck blood and can cause anemia, then death. Also, go out to her roost at night and use a flashlight to see if there are mites crawling on the roost or on her legs, look closely, size wise they are tiny.
When was the last time you wormed her? If you've never wormed her, I recommend valbazen liquid cattle/sheep wormer. Valbazen slowly kills worms over several days preventing toxic dead worm overload which could kill your hen.
There's also the possibility that she might have a heart valve or heart problem causing the purple comb. If it gets worse it will darken further, a good indication she is on her way out. You can put your ear to her side and listen for a "clicking" sound. If you hear it, it's a heart valve. Either way whether it's a heart valve or heart problem, there's nothing you can do but provide her comfort care.


----------



## seminole wind (Aug 22, 2015)

I hope she feels better soon.


----------

