Chicken Check Up
Vent Gleet
Column by Heather Levin
A healthy vent (pictured) shouldn’t have any discharge on the area around the vent.
Photo by Heather Levin
Vent gleet is one of those chicken problems that you hope you never have to deal with, but you probably will at some point. You’ve likely seen pictures of this condition online and quickly clicked away because they were so unsavory.
While it’s not fun to treat this condition, several natural options exist that can help your chicken recover and get back to her beautiful, healthy self.
WHAT IS VENT GLEET?
Vent gleet, also called “cloacitis,” is a fungal infection of the cloaca commonly caused by Candida albicans (yeast). In chickens, the condition looks like a bad case of drippy diarrhea, partnered with a smell foul enough to knock you over.
The good news is that vent gleet is rarely fatal. The bad news is that it can quickly spread to other areas, such as the crop, and cause more serious conditions (such as sour crop) that can become fatal. And the longer it goes on, the more difficult it is to treat.
WHAT CAUSES VENT GLEET?
Much of the time, vent gleet is caused by an overgrowth of Candida albicans. Although an imbalance of Candida is the most common cause, vent gleet can be caused by other stressors that alter a chicken’s internal pH level, parasites, toxins or bacteria.