Hi all,
I have a pair of year old Bielefelder hen who lay eggs regularly. We've had a pretty good heat wave for a couple of weeks and only 1 hen has been laying for the last week.
This morning I went down to the coop and 1 Biele hen was standing with her abdomen on the ground. I picked her up and saw the prolapsed vent.
I've cleaned her up and given her an epsom salt soak, used Preparation H, and have her in a dog carrier in the house. Also gave her water with electrolytes and vitamins, and have cut back on her food.
She does not appear to be egg bound. I did not feel anything at all when I examined her internally, and her abdomen is soft. She had a slight drip of blood tinged fluid that stopped after I used the Preparation H. The vent prolapsed again after two hours, so I cleaned her up, trimmed her feathers, and reapplied the Prep H. Everything has stayed put right now and I will check her in the morning.
I have a camera in the coop and could see her until an hour before I went down to the coop. She looked normal all night, and looked normal when she got off her roost. After I picked her up, I checked the nest boxes which were all empty, with no sign of blood or fluid, or egg.
This evening I found a Bielefelder egg in a nest box, so the isolated hen is the one who has not been laying.
Could the vent prolapse without the presence of an egg?
Could it be the heat and dehydration that has caused the issue? I have been doing my best to keep all the hens hydrated, with a mister, wetting down the run and the grass as well as the area under the trees where they like to hang out. This hen has continued to pant throughout, but has been eating and drinking.
Is it ok to feed her hard boiled eggs in the morning? How should I feed her over the next few days?
I'd appreciate your thoughts. Thank you.
I have a pair of year old Bielefelder hen who lay eggs regularly. We've had a pretty good heat wave for a couple of weeks and only 1 hen has been laying for the last week.
This morning I went down to the coop and 1 Biele hen was standing with her abdomen on the ground. I picked her up and saw the prolapsed vent.
I've cleaned her up and given her an epsom salt soak, used Preparation H, and have her in a dog carrier in the house. Also gave her water with electrolytes and vitamins, and have cut back on her food.
She does not appear to be egg bound. I did not feel anything at all when I examined her internally, and her abdomen is soft. She had a slight drip of blood tinged fluid that stopped after I used the Preparation H. The vent prolapsed again after two hours, so I cleaned her up, trimmed her feathers, and reapplied the Prep H. Everything has stayed put right now and I will check her in the morning.
I have a camera in the coop and could see her until an hour before I went down to the coop. She looked normal all night, and looked normal when she got off her roost. After I picked her up, I checked the nest boxes which were all empty, with no sign of blood or fluid, or egg.
This evening I found a Bielefelder egg in a nest box, so the isolated hen is the one who has not been laying.
Could the vent prolapse without the presence of an egg?
Could it be the heat and dehydration that has caused the issue? I have been doing my best to keep all the hens hydrated, with a mister, wetting down the run and the grass as well as the area under the trees where they like to hang out. This hen has continued to pant throughout, but has been eating and drinking.
Is it ok to feed her hard boiled eggs in the morning? How should I feed her over the next few days?
I'd appreciate your thoughts. Thank you.
