Vent Gleet! Oh, Vent Gleet! I hate you! You stink!
Posted: Thu Jul 19, 2018 10:16 am
I believe that Vent Gleet is a condition of circumstances, and not a sign of inherent weakness in a hen: It’s the end result of a stressful episode that has altered (raised) the pH of the cloaca and predisposed it and all the associated organs to infection. Some hens are more susceptible to it than others in their flock and/or had a compromised immune system for some other reason.
The best approach to successful treatment is to counteract the effect of stress (i.e. acidify cloaca), stimulate immunity, control secondary infections, identify and eliminate (if possible) the stress factor.
If you’ve been experiencing the heat wave conditions like we have over the last few weeks and have now have Vent Gleet showing up in your flock, I’d bet that heat stress is the root cause or at least a major contributing factor.
I have a theory that during very hot, humid periods the feed (grain) does absorb excess moisture from the air, which creates an ideal environment for yeast to proliferate. One of the reasons that vent gleet is so difficult to treat is because most flocks are on a feed that is grain-based, high carbohydrate (complex sugar, which is what Candida Albicans thrives on). This is anecdotal, mind you - I don’t have the scientific research sources to back this up - but I’ve been hypothesizing for quite a while about why Vent Gleet is so persistent and difficult to cure.
When one of my hens had Vent Gleet this past spring, I gave her extra greens, wild bird seeds, extra protein in the form of mealworms and scrambled eggs, and extra calcium, in hopes that she would not eat as much layer ration when she was back with the flock in between treatments. I figured that if she filled up on more low-carb food, then there would be less for the yeast/fungus to thrive on. This would result in the culture dying back enough to allow re-population of more friendly / healthy bacteria, which would in turn lower pH levels and promote healing. I’m no scientist; it’s just my theory. Anyway, she did recover. I have no way to verify, really, that the change I made to her diet as part of her treatment made a difference, but I like to think it may have helped.
I just recently found a recommendation for another oral anti-fungal that has been used to treat Vent Gleet in poultry: metronidazole (Flagyl) tablets (100mg per kilogram / 2.2 pounds of body weight). I don’t know if this medication is even available OTC, though.
The best approach to successful treatment is to counteract the effect of stress (i.e. acidify cloaca), stimulate immunity, control secondary infections, identify and eliminate (if possible) the stress factor.
If you’ve been experiencing the heat wave conditions like we have over the last few weeks and have now have Vent Gleet showing up in your flock, I’d bet that heat stress is the root cause or at least a major contributing factor.
I have a theory that during very hot, humid periods the feed (grain) does absorb excess moisture from the air, which creates an ideal environment for yeast to proliferate. One of the reasons that vent gleet is so difficult to treat is because most flocks are on a feed that is grain-based, high carbohydrate (complex sugar, which is what Candida Albicans thrives on). This is anecdotal, mind you - I don’t have the scientific research sources to back this up - but I’ve been hypothesizing for quite a while about why Vent Gleet is so persistent and difficult to cure.
When one of my hens had Vent Gleet this past spring, I gave her extra greens, wild bird seeds, extra protein in the form of mealworms and scrambled eggs, and extra calcium, in hopes that she would not eat as much layer ration when she was back with the flock in between treatments. I figured that if she filled up on more low-carb food, then there would be less for the yeast/fungus to thrive on. This would result in the culture dying back enough to allow re-population of more friendly / healthy bacteria, which would in turn lower pH levels and promote healing. I’m no scientist; it’s just my theory. Anyway, she did recover. I have no way to verify, really, that the change I made to her diet as part of her treatment made a difference, but I like to think it may have helped.
I just recently found a recommendation for another oral anti-fungal that has been used to treat Vent Gleet in poultry: metronidazole (Flagyl) tablets (100mg per kilogram / 2.2 pounds of body weight). I don’t know if this medication is even available OTC, though.