Causes, symptoms and treatments for Cloaca infections, pasty butt and vent gleet in chickens. The Cloaca is the vent opening at the rear of both male and female chickens and other birds which is used to expel intestinal, reproductive, and urinary products (feces).

Causes of Cloaca Infections/Pasty Butt/Vent Gleet

Here is a list of reasons your chickens can get pasty butt/vent gleet and cloaca infection or inflammation:

• Bacterial infections such as paracolon infection
• Fungal infection
• Inflammation
• Fecalith or Urolith formation
• Retained eggs
• Prolapse
• Neoplasia
• Obstruction of the cloaca from severe dilation caused by Cloacaliths (an abnormal mass inside the cloaca)
• ​Lesions from Cloacal papillomatosis (gastrointestinal warts)

​"Causes of cloacal abnormalities include bacterial or fungal infection, inflammation, fecalith or urolith formation, retained eggs, prolapse, or neoplasia. Cloacaliths, with multiple lamellar layers, can develop into large concretions of several centimeters in size causing severe dilatation and obstruction of the cloaca. Masses can develop from the cloacal mucosa or associated structures. Cloacal papillomatosis can produce proliferative lesions of the cloacal mucosa" (Ritzman, 2008).
Things that you can control which cause cloaca infections and inflammation:
Parasites such as lice, mites and/or worms
Unsanitary litter or nesting materials
Dirty Chicken Coop (roosts, walls, floors, ceiling, nestboxes)
Dirty or green water
Unstable feed
Too many treats
Vitamin deficiencies
​Sickness or Diseases
​Mating with an infected bird
​(See signs of Cloacal Obstruction Disease below the video).

Prevention & Treatments for Pasty Butt/Vent Gleet

When chickens and other poultry get sick it is usually for more than one reason, so they end up with symptoms for several different sicknesses. So to properly determine how to treat your bird which has pasty butt/cloaca/vent gleet you will need to use a process of elimination. This means eliminating (getting rid of) things that could possibly be causing it. Here is what you can do:
Quarantine sick birds-Do not return sick birds to your flock even after they get well they may still shed the disease in their feces and dander to other birds.
Trim vent feathers in the Spring or if they are pasty or have mite infestations.
Deworm (drench) your birds monthly
Bathe your chicken in Dawn original dish soap, give your chickens a regular Chicken Spa Day every month
Treat for mites, lice, and scaley leg mites
Clean your chicken coop-Remove all feces from coops floors, walls, and nest boxes.
​Wash floors, walls, roosts, and nestboxes with a disinfectant like Virkon S
​See more below

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Signs of Cloacal Obstructive Disease

Tenesmus
Hemotochezia
Decreased drop in egg production
Diarrhea
Change in dropping appearance
Flatulence
Soiling of vent area
Lethargy
Anorexia
Change in perching posture
Inability to breed
Does not produce eggs normally
Prolapse of cloacal mucosa or other cloacal structures
​Mass effect in the caudal abdominal region

​"If cloacal disease is due to a mass effect within the cloacal lumen, respiratory signs may be apparent due to impingement of the abdominal airsacs. Routine hematology including a complete blood count and chemistry profile will often be normal. Some birds may develop a heterophilic leukocytosis due to secondary bacterial infections or inflammation associated with a cloacitis. A protein electrophoresis may show changes related to inflammation. If cloacal obstruction prevents the normal passing of excrement, congestion of the ureters can occur, causing possible renal failure and hematological changes such as an elevation in uric acid values".(Ritzman, 2008). 

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What does it mean if Your Chickens Vent Area is Matted and Black?

"Northern fowl mites are the most serious external parasites of poultry. Large numbers of these blood feeding mites can buildup on birds in just a few weeks, especially during cool weather. Northern fowl mites settle around the vent of the bird and the area can become matted and black. Treat the infested area thoroughly with an insecticide for best control. A second application, about 10 days after the first one, is advised. The mites can live off the birds for about 3 weeks so they may survive in houses that are temporarily empty" (L. D. Bushnell and W.R. Henshaw 1924). ​

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Will keeping the feces picked up in the coop Stop my chickens from getting sick?

Keeping up with feces removal can help reduce the amount to illness and diseases chickens get but parasites and disease can travel on a small particle of chicken poop as small as the head of a pin so it is important to remove feces often (preferably daily), keep bedding dry at all times, regularly clean, wash, and disinfect your coop, runs, roosts, nest boxes, etc. and  use preventative parasite control to make sure your chickens do not get parasites or treat them as soon as you notice signs of an infestation

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Facts About White Diarrhea in Baby Chicks

'It is always best to ask for a clean bill of health for all new birds purchased for breeding purposes. This is especially true as regards white diarrhea. If eggs are purchased, the chicks hatching from these should be kept by themselves for several days to avoid introducing white diarrhea, since chicks may be infected through the egg. This also holds true for day old chicks purchased on the market. Sparrows and other birds may carry disease from one flock to another, and if there is disease in the locality, sparrows should be kept away from the chicken runs" (L. D. Bushnell and W.R. Henshaw, 1924).

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References:
1. L. D. Bushnell and W.R. Henshaw. (July 1924). ​Prevention and control of poultry diseases​. Ksre.k-state.edu. Retrieved 26 June 2018, from https://www.ksre.k-state.edu/historicpublications/pubs/Sc106.pdf
2. ​Ritzman, Tracey, DVM, DABVP, T. (October 1, 2008). Cloacal disorders and diseases (Proceedings). dvm360.com. Retrieved 28 June 2018, from http://veterinarycalendar.dvm360.com/cloacal-disorders-and-diseases-proceedings

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