# Dirty Bum (Vent)



## Regina L

One of my girls started laying about 2 weeks ago, and she lays the healthiest green eggs! 
She's about 8 months old. 
But her bum is always dirty. 
Should I worry about it? Do I wash it? If so, how do I go about it?
Thank you, and Happy New Year!


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## jaystyles75

It's normal. Our best layers have the dirtiest bums. It just builds up


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## robin416

No, it shouldn't. It can cause scald if left. 

Try putting her on some pro biotics, it might be that her digestive system is not in balance. Changes in environment can cause some issues, like sudden changes in weather. Very wet weather can get some of them a bitty runny. I've seen it in my own flock as our weather whips back & forth.


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## Regina L

She is on Fermented feed, veggies and legumes! She eats better than my family! Lol
She seems to be a great layer


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## Regina L

This is her bum! 
Our temperatures have been in the teens, so if I did wash her, what else should I do to get her from having a "bum-sicle" LOL (couldn't help myself! Hahah)


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## Regina L

And thank you guys for your prompt responses!


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## jaystyles75

I have mine on ff as well, and the layers are the ones with the dirty bums.


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## nj2wv

Just keep an eye out to be on the safe side. My layers have messy rears but not as much as that.


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## GratefulGirl

Could she have gleet? Doesn't look normal messy to me.


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## jaystyles75

All of my layers looked exactly the same all summer long. They are very healthy, and in the fall it seemed to clear up except for the 3 hens that have continued to lay so far this winter. The more eggs we get from them the worse they look. We have 2 hens that have yet to lay an egg, and one rooster that have never had a "dirty bum". We also have 6 guineas that share a coop with the chickens, and also have not had the "dirty bums". Last summer Bee posted how her grandmother always said you could tell the best layers by the bums because their vents were looser.


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## robin416

A messy rear end is not normal. I raised predominately white birds. The only time you saw a messy rear end was after worming or in very hot, humid weather. 

If messy rear ends was normal no one would raise white show birds since they would never be able to show them.


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## cgmccary

GratefulGirl said:


> Could she have gleet? Doesn't look normal messy to me.


 I have some who cannot stay clean.

Good question. FWIW, I have had some experience with vent gleet over the years. It shows up from time to time in my flock. Some of my hens are aged & this is where it usually appears in my flock, not in pullets or young hens (<3 years old).

In the OP's bird in question, this is probably not vent gleet as it has a very distinct and awful smell (and one a decent nose will pick up on; I can smell it when I enter a coop full of hens-- I ask, "who has vent gleet?") AND also, the hen does not lay or if she does, rarely. This is because the fungus/ yeast is in the reproductive system. Some hens, for a number of reasons, just end up with poop on themselves.

Vent gleet varies in its severity. It is NOT contagious. If it were vent gleet, I have used betadine in a spray bottle. If I am able, I bathe the bird and get the crust and "gleet off). If not, I clean the area with a wound wash getting all the "gleet" off which is usually crusted around the vent. I then pat dry and spray vent and skin around the vent with a couple of squirts of betadine. More effective: I have also used anti-fungal creams (like for athlete's foot) -- applied twice daily for a couple of weeks. Avoid feeding wet foods such as water melon & such. Nystation suspension (obtained from a vet) or some other antifungal medication can be very effective.

Sometimes, these treatments work well and sometimes, they don't. Hens usually are the ones who get vent gleet but sometimes, roosters can to. I had one rooster who got it one time, and I could not get rid of it. I had to cull the rooster.

Vent gleet, if it gets out of hand, can kill the bird. It leads to a painful infection in her reproductive and digestive tracts.

Using a clove of garlic crushed per gallon of water is supposed to be useful too. Hope this helps someone.


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## Regina L

Thanks again for all the info. 
This white young hen (about 9 months old) lays a green egg every day! 
She has been an awesome layer, despite the freezing weather. 
When the weather is this cold, do any of you have to dry her off after you wash her vent before sending her back to the flock?


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