Adult Female Medical Emergency

[Childwanderer]

Hi.
One of my laying hens has an organ of some kind protruding from her vent. It is red with blood vessels around it. She is not feeling so good. We found a leathery shell-less egg out in the yard where she ranges during the day. Any clues or tips for helping her? Thank you.

 

[ccmarie]

Yikes, that sounds serious. I hope someone will be able to help. I don't have much knowledge, but it seems like trying to keep her in a sterile, isolated location would be a good idea.

 

[Konra]

Prolapse. Push it back in.

 

[Childwanderer]

Okay. Any clues what causes this?
by the way, her appetite has not apparently been affected. She's hunting june bugs like nobody's business.

 

[Amiga]

Holderread suggests the causes may include obesity, premature egg production, excessive mating, prolonged egg production.

azhenhouse, if I recall correctly, applied Preparation H or honey - alternating them - after warm baths. She kept her ducks in a dark quiet warm place. Sometimes the ducks need oral antibiotics to prevent infection.

When my snake had a prolapse, we swam her in warm water to improve muscle tone.

Get her off layer feed if she's on it, you want to get her to stop laying.

If you can get to a vet who knows how to deal with prolapse, that is best.

 

[Childwanderer]

Thank you, Amiga.

 

[Amiga]

 

[Childwanderer]

*Update*

That. Was. Bizarre.

The duck, also known as "Mud", appears to be doing fine.

We let her bathe in clean warm water to relax her. I got a good look at her and saw that the organ/protrusion/thing had faded from bright red to greyish. It was connected to her body by a fine thread and the vent had closed almost completely. Mud started to groom her tail and pulled on the 'thing' with her bill. This upset us considerably. We drained the tub to put her to bed and planned to wait to see if she would make it through the night. My sister (awesome, by the way) took the duck out of the room while I cleaned the tub.
My sister carried Mud in a towel. Mud broke out of the towel and started grooming herself again. My sister found the 'thing' on the floor beside Mud.

What the heck?!?

Pictures to follow.

 

[desertdarlene]

I wonder if she laid a malformed egg. I know it can happen sometimes, but if it happens often, it may be a sign of something serious. So, I would keep a eye on her.

 

[Childwanderer]

Yeah, it seemed kind of like the leathery egg we found earlier today when I touched it. (wearing gloves)