# Thrush in chickens



## newenglander6 (Jul 7, 2013)

I have a flock of 9 backyard chickens. It has been a very wet humid month and I'm pretty sure 2 have thrush (white swollen vent, white beak, some white on comb). Can I treat with powder instead of cream? Any easy recommendations?


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## Bee (Jun 20, 2013)

Feeding fermented feed can help prevent the internal formation of harmful yeasts in your flock. You might also try to keep the run environment healthier by using a good deep litter system that promotes the growth of good yeasts and bacteria instead of the more harmful ones, thus helping inhibit the overgrowth of these kind of yeasts/bacteria in their living environment. 

Both are easy and short/long term fixes. If you are looking for only short term fixes, then someone can probably tell you of a sulfa drug you can give that may help~which you will have to give once again each time it gets wet and the harmful pathogens take over once again.


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## newenglander6 (Jul 7, 2013)

The chickens are free range - we've had chickens for 4 years without a problem. It's just been an unusually wet hot month and I think that was the problem. Their living area at night is pretty clean, but just to be safe we did thoroughly clean everything out in the coop - new bedding for nesting, etc. I was thinking if I could use a powder to dust to help them heal faster instead of a cream, but wasn't sure. Nystatin is recommended and is fairly safe for humans too, but wasn't sure about some over the counter powders on chickens. Currently it's one of our reds and one of our aracaunas that are affected. We also have barred rocks and more aracaunas who seem fine.


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