Prolapsed chicken-HELP!!!

[crchickens]

I check the girls every morning, and yesterday, they all seemed fine. Today, when I was doing my check, I saw that my RIR was prolapsed and a large egg shape was hanging, and it was all covered in poop and junk. My son and I brought her in and soaked her, repeatedly cleaning the junk carefully, until we finally discovered, that she had a half of a broken shell coming out round side down, which was all attached around her insides with dried on goop and poo, and inside that half shell was a formed and perfect regular egg. We cleaned it all off the best we could by soaking and then slowly cleaning and using lubricant, picked off the broken egg pieces. It took hours to do. There was a tube coming off of the prolapse, that I am assuming is her poop tube (not sure the term in chickens). That was all caked with poop, and i cleaned it the best I could, but she was out of patience by then. I used the lubricant, and put her gently back together, hoping nature would cure her. Fortunate for her, I have a son who had undiagnosed food allergies when he was young and developed a severe prolapse that required 3 major surgeries to repair. I am well versed in prolapse. My friend told me to put hemorrhoid cream on her when I was done, so I did. She seemed happier, it was staying in, and we put her back in the coop. I went out an hour later, and she was prolapsed again. I brought her back in and tried cleaning her up and putting her back together, but she just won't stay. It pops right back out.

What would you do? Does she need to be culled? I don't want her to suffer. Is there anything else I can do?

 

[terryg]

Culling depends on the severity of the prolapse and how much care you are willing to do. I had a hen that prolapsed in her first year of lay - but not as severely as yours - and she is now 5 and still laying. What finally kept the oviduct back in was honey! Hygroscopic, sticky and a natural antibiotic. Way better than Prep-H. You can read what I did here:
http://hencam.com/henblog/2007/07/folk-medicine-cure/
But, even with the success that I had, if the hen is badly torn and suffering, I wouldn't prolong things. It sounds like you'll know. Good-luck.

 

[chickngal98]

You don't want her to suffer, as well as contract a nasty infection....good luck, its not easy making a decision like this...

 

[crchickens]

Thanks. Honey, huh? I have some of that, and I am willing to try anything. She did look a little less swollen just a bit ago after I had put her back in, and put more prep H on her, but she was still prolapsed. I am going to keep trying until tomorrow when my hubby gets home and see what he says. He already told me that he does not want to do the deed, so it may be something I have to find the heart to do. I don't know about this...... My son is braver then me, but after him tenderly caring for her with me all morning, I don't know if he can do it either. Sigh.

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

"Therefore any bird with a cloacal prolapse should be kept warm and given calcium in some form to hopefully increase cloacal muscle tone"

from

http://www.avianweb.com/Prolapse.htm

I have no experience with prolapse and keep in mind that the above website is for other birds too.

 

[crchickens]

Thanks, Chickensaresweet!! I give them oyster shell, but I was wondering if something else would help.
Tomorrow will determine her future. I want to see how she is by then. She was still prolapsed,but much less enlarged tonight. I want to see if after the irritation calms down, maybe she will stay in okay.

 

[chickngal98]

How is she today?

 

[jersey chicken]

I had a prolapsed hen this year-I do know that after "re-inserting" the vent, using prepH and such, we did keep her in the dark-this fooled her into not trying to lay an egg, thus allowing the prolapse to heal. It saved her for another 6 months, when she did prolapse again, and I couldn't save her. But-we gave her 6 more months! Try keeping her in the dark for a day or two-no light, minimal food and water. It worked!