22 weeks, very prolapsed vent ~ I'm a newbie PLEASE HELP!!

[cellsworth]

I have a 22 week old GL Wyandotte that has a very large prolapsed vent. Of course it is caked with poo and blood, I have trimmed the hair - isolated her, cleaned it as best as I could and coated her (tough to do because it's moist) with Preperation H. Is there anything else I can do??? I did read that taking away her food until dark will help and feeding her calcium which I plan to do as well. As moist as it is it seems dry at the same time, like it is making it hard for her to poop. Any advice will be GREATLY appreciated!!!!!

 

[Judy]

Did you try to push it back in? You may have to do this several times. And it may not work, no matter what care you give. I wish you both the best of luck.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/32448/what-causes-prolapse/0_20

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/26390/help-fast-i-think-my-chicken-prolapsed-final-update/0_20

 

[cellsworth]

I have not yet, thought I should attempt to shrink it a bit first. Going to try later though, it's rather large. Thank you!!!!

 

[Wyandottes7]

Push it in several times a day, and it should eventually stay in. You can put some honey on the prolapse, as well as Witch Hazel, to help it recede back into the body. Keep her in the dark for most of the day and give food at night to encourage her to stop laying. Supplement her with calcium, too. Prolapses can take anywhere from a few days to a few weeks to go away.

 

[cellsworth]

I have cleaned it so many times, tried pushing it back in and holding it in last night only to see it keep popping back out. She is straining so badly to even poop, that it's just coming out a tiny bit very runny. Now I am faced with the part that is prolapsed seems very lumpy/clotty like there are things stuck to it no matter what I try. I cleaned it again this morning and coated it with prep h again. I just am having a feeling this will not be ending the way I wish it would. To top it off, my 6yr old went to the coop today to find our 22 week old Speckled Sussex laying on the floor dead She was a very healthy looking bird, not sure if she layed yet as I have never caught her in the nesting box. I checked her vent as best as I could to see if there were any signs of any problems but didn't find anything. My chicks were vaccinated for Mercks from the hatchery and I have fed medicated feed up until my purina layer that they are on - was I supposed to vaccinate another time along the way? I cannot go through this again, we had 19 layers and they were our pets - each had a name.

 

[Judy]

Unfortunately, these things happen, really with any pet. I had a point of lay pullet drop dead with no warning as well. There are so many possible causes; like people, anything can go wrong. At least if the others seem healthy, you shouldn't have to be concerned about something contagious. Marek's rarely if ever kills without warning, nor do most of the other diseases chickens can get. No, I don't believe Marek's vaccine requires more than one dose. I imagine a sudden death is more likely something like a heart defect or aneurysm. And the unfortunate truth is, prolapse is not a condition that all hens recover from. I don't know what the % is but I don't thinks it's very high. Losing pets is part of what kids learn about, in the process of having pets -- just as having to put one down to end its suffering is.

It may be that once this is over, however it ends, you won't lose another for several years. And your child will have learned some important lessons about animal husbandry.

 

[cellsworth]

Thank you very very much for your replies, I greatly appreciate it. I grew up on a farm, so I do know of the downside to having animals and we raise pigs every year for 4-H and our freezer also purchase many animals from our livestock sale at the fair and my children do realize that aspect of it. I just felt so badly for her (she is 6 and LOVES our girls) she wanted to head to the other barn to check on the hen that has the prolapse but I suggested she let the other girls out (thinking I wasn't sure what i would find when I checked on the prolapsed girl) she comes screaming out the coop crying her eyes out. I did tell her and my younger son that the other one may not make it either, but it may be for the best at least she won't be suffering. As much as I am trying to wait it out with that hen, I applied witch hazel throughout the day today and attempted to push it back in but it will just not stay in at all. Not sure if I owe it to her and the children to keep trying for a few days or just put her out of her misery now if that's what will need to happen in the end anyway. I stripped the coop today just incase there was some sort of bug in there, replaced all bedding, washed windows and perches - even windex their mirror (my girls love looking at themselves If nothing else, I feel better knowing that I have tried and taken a step to prevent maybe another fatality from happening too soon.