blood around the vent area

[trbtm134]

When I got home from work today, one of my girls was in a nest box with her head towards the back corner and around her vent area was blood, but not gushing or anything, just "there". She is lethargic and didn't mind when I picked her up and put her in an isolated cage. Usually she pecks and runs away from people, but now she is just laying there with her eyes closed and her vent is moving in and out. I tried to get her to drink a little water and she did, but not much. Will not eat anything at all. She is approximately two years old and I have had her since April of this year. Any ideas as to what caused this? As I said I was at work all day and DH noticed her listlessness, but assumed she would be ok.
Help please!

 

[ADozenGirlz]

When was the last time she laid an egg? Is it possible that she's egg-bound?

 

[trbtm134]

I don't know when she last laid an egg. I have 17 hens and actually have no idea who lays what. Wish I did. How do hens act when egg bound? Do they have blood in the back? Her comb doesn't really look right, either. It is dark in places and dry-looking.

 

[ADozenGirlz]

Here is a thread that discusses eggbound chickens and refers to other threads that may be of assistance to you in diagnosing whether that's what is going on with your hen.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?pid=325642

I've never had an eggbound hen, but that was what first popped to mind when I read your post. I'm thinking maybe another hen pecked at her vent and that's what caused the bleeding.
Good luck. Keep us posted.

I found this post particularly useful by Pollysmum: and here's the link: https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=26414
"Egg bound hens

A hen is said to be egg bound when she fails to lay her egg

This is a common condition, and may result from inflammation of the oviduct, malformed or double yolker egg, or a too large egg in a young pullet


She will sit like a penguin
She will bawk bawk bawk
The bird seems very restless
She will drink little and eat little
She will tend to stand all hunched up
She visits the nest regularly in an attempt to lay her egg
Hew oviduct may end up protrude due to excessive pushing by her to eject the egg; internal haemorrhage or exhaustion may occur and the fowl may die
She may smell badly
Her vent will look quite red and protrude
She may have faecal matter that has built up behind the egg, if you see white liquid that will be her urates trying to pass (urine in chickens)

Sit her in a tub of warm soapy water
Make sure the vent is submerged for about 30 minutes, this may seem like a long time, but you have to relax the vent area and make is subtle for the egg to pass through, it really does help the hen, 85% of the time this will be all that you will need to do for her and the egg will pass out with a little push from her

You can rub some lubricant around the vent area if you think that may help too, usually it doesn’t help the bird, but for some reason it helps the owners feel better that they are doing something , KY jelly, petroleum jelly, Vaseline or Olive Oil all work fine. But seeing as the egg is stuck further up this will probably help you feel better and do nothing for the hen

DO NOT STICK YOUR FINGER INTO THE VENT TO FEEL FOR THE EGG... not a good idea.. you can do damage to the hen and also break the egg, especially if it is a soft shell egg.. then you will have even more trouble .

Make sure you isolate her from the other hens, or they will peck at her vent causing more damage

Put her into an isolation cage, put plenty of news paper down first and then put heated towels down they will act like a heat pad for her, no drafts when she is wet or she will catch a chill

You can heat up towels in your microwave, works a treat
If you have a heat pad that would be even better, put plenty of towels over it or it will get messy
Leave her for a little while to see if she passes the egg, if not, repeat the warm water and soap again

Some people just use the heating pads, this sometimes seems to relax the muscles and allow the egg to slip out

Last resort
If this doesn’t work, you may have to resort to removing the egg manually, not a nice task, and she will complain about what you are doing bitterly, you will need two people to do this task

Using KY jelly, Petroleum jelly or Vaseline, insert your finger in the vent
With your other hand you can press gently on her abdomen moving the egg down the oviduct towards the cloaca

Once you can see the egg, if it won’t pass, then rupture the egg and gently remove all the shell

Some have suggested you use a sharp instrument, I would not recommend this at all it could result in causing the hen internal injuries

The shell of the egg will be very sharp when broken and could also damage the chicken internally

Once you have broken the shell, make sure you remove every particle carefully

The cloaca should then be washed with a weak warm water/salt solution, this is to make sure all the egg contents and shell has been removed from inside the hen, if it isn’t it could cause bacteria to start growing inside her, and then you’ve got an even bigger problem to solve

Once the egg has ejected you will want to keep an eye on her for a while

There may be another egg backed up in her oviduct system, especially if she lays an egg every day or every other day

Sometimes they absorb the egg, but this is very unlikely and very unusual

If you can’t find the egg and it has gone from the hen, more than likely she has eaten it shell and all

If it has ruptured inside her, you should look for small pieces of shell, or evidence of any cuts around the vent area

Just remember while your looking and sticking your finger in places she would prefer you didn’t, the egg shells can be quite sharp and may cut you and her

If you do find any cuts around her cloaca, rinse with a weak solution of hydrogen peroxide and water

Watch her for listlessness, dull eyes, and signs of fever
Infection can come on pretty quick"

 

[trbtm134]

thanks. That was very informative. I am going out now to try the warm towel thing. I hate to see any animal in pain! Hope this works. I will let you know.

 

[ADozenGirlz]

Quote:
Please check to confirm that you feel an egg in there first.

 

[trbtm134]

It didn't feel like there is an egg in there. I put a warm towel under her and she seemed to like that. Since rain is possible tonight, I put a tarp over the cage she is in and made sure no critters could get in at her. Guess I'll just have to wait until morning and see how she is doing. She has ample straw to keep her warm, also. Hope I did everything ok.

 

[ADozenGirlz]

Quote:
A tarp will not keep out predators. Trust me. I lost a baby Ameraucana chick to thinking she was safe in a special cage behind a fence. That didn't stop the raccoon that killed her.

Could you possibly bring her inside (garage or basement even?) for the night? Also, make sure she has access to food and water in the cage (in case you didn't already do that).

 

[trbtm134]

The tarp is to keep out the possible rain. The cage is enclosed with chicken wire and also other wire around that. Yes, I put a pan of water and one of food in there incase she gets hungry. The cage is close to our bedroom window that we keep open at night, so we can keep an eye on her from there.
Thanks again for all your help and concern. I'll let you know how she is tomorrow since I have the day off. Keep your fingers crossed.

 

[ADozenGirlz]

Quote:
Looking forward to your update.