Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Vent Gleet
Vent gleet is a sexually transmitted poultry disease most commonly occurring in ducks.
Although there is some disagreement about what causes vent gleet, from my experience,
it appears to be a fungal infection that males will pick up on their penis when it doesn't
fully contract and becomes soiled. Once the infection develops the male spreads it to the
next hen he mates with who, in turn, spreads it to the next male. Before long, if you are
not organized, every bird in the pen has the condition.
The arrow shows where to inject an antibiotic into the breast muscle of an infected
chicken.
Symptoms of this disease include a crusty, nasty-looking vent area, and in some
cases, a swollen abdomen. The enlarged abdomen occurs because the infected vent
closes off, making it impossible for the bird to defecate.
Treatment
I have had some success clearing up the vent infection with daily applications of triple
antibiotic ointment. I smear the ointment over the area and gently inside the outer rim of
the vent for about a week to 10 days. Keeping the area moist with petroleum jelly also
seems to help.
