After lots of reading here on the forum, I think my hen has a prolapse (fairly mild) and is egg bound. I've been treating her accordingly. However, there is some white-crumbly accumulation on the lower half of her cloaca that I am concerned about. I don't know if it's dead skin, or urates. Please read on and tell me your opinion on that... and the rest.
1) What type of bird , age and weight.
Buff Brahma Cochin--- 10 months. Don't know weight... but she's little.
2) What is the behavior, exactly.
Came home after vacation to find her bleeding from cloaca/vent area. She seemed like she was in shock, not moving, eating, or drinking. I immediately brought her inside and have been bathing her in warm water twice a day, giving her oral antibiotics as well as antibiotic cream around her rear where it looks like feathers and skin have been torn either by her or another hen.
3) How long has the bird been exhibiting symptoms?
We found her 5 days ago and have been treating her since.
4) Is there any bleeding, injury, broken bones or other sign of trauma.
Bleeding stopped within first 12 hours of finding her, swelling has subsided a bit, but cloaca still puffy and not normal looking---- as I said earlier, I am especially concerned because there is something white caked accumulating around her cloaca. I thought they were urates collecting, but I have trouble cleaning the area, even after soaking her, and if I pick/peel the white stuff away (it's kinda like a scab) it exposes raw bleeding skin....
My fear is that the white-stuff is not urates, but dead skin. Thoughts?! What do I do about that?!
5) What happened, if anything that you know of, that may have caused the situation.
Possible prolapse, but not bad. It's possible that she's egg bound-- she didn't lay for a while before we left and didn't lay while we were away. I THINK I can feel an egg inside her when I palpate her abdomen.
6) What has the bird been eating and drinking, if at all.
She has been eating intermittently- water with some Sulmet in it, yogurt, layer crumble, water melon, tomato, and calcium crumbles.
7) How does the poop look? Normal? Bloody? Runny? etc.
It seems somewhat normal in terms of color and consistency.... although it doesn't seem as if she can pass a normal size chicken poop.
8) What has been the treatment you have administered so far?
Isolation from other hens, kept warm in house, bathed to be kept clean, antibiotics in water and on external wound, calcium crumbles and yogurt. She often spends a good bit of time bearing down, as if she's trying to poo or lay an egg.
I lubed her up with water soluble lubricant to see if that would help her pass an egg, but am not sure that did anything. Following advice in this and other forums, I inserted a lubed and gloved finger into her vent to see if I could feel an egg that way and then help her deliver it, but no luck.
9 ) What is your intent as far as treatment? For example, do you want to treat completely yourself, or do you need help in stabilizing the bird til you can get to a vet?
Prefer DIY.
10) If you have a picture of the wound or condition, please post it. It may help.
No picture, sorry.
11) Describe the housing/bedding in use
She's in a large rubber maid container with bedding changed 2 times daily.
1) What type of bird , age and weight.
Buff Brahma Cochin--- 10 months. Don't know weight... but she's little.
2) What is the behavior, exactly.
Came home after vacation to find her bleeding from cloaca/vent area. She seemed like she was in shock, not moving, eating, or drinking. I immediately brought her inside and have been bathing her in warm water twice a day, giving her oral antibiotics as well as antibiotic cream around her rear where it looks like feathers and skin have been torn either by her or another hen.
3) How long has the bird been exhibiting symptoms?
We found her 5 days ago and have been treating her since.
4) Is there any bleeding, injury, broken bones or other sign of trauma.
Bleeding stopped within first 12 hours of finding her, swelling has subsided a bit, but cloaca still puffy and not normal looking---- as I said earlier, I am especially concerned because there is something white caked accumulating around her cloaca. I thought they were urates collecting, but I have trouble cleaning the area, even after soaking her, and if I pick/peel the white stuff away (it's kinda like a scab) it exposes raw bleeding skin....
My fear is that the white-stuff is not urates, but dead skin. Thoughts?! What do I do about that?!
5) What happened, if anything that you know of, that may have caused the situation.
Possible prolapse, but not bad. It's possible that she's egg bound-- she didn't lay for a while before we left and didn't lay while we were away. I THINK I can feel an egg inside her when I palpate her abdomen.
6) What has the bird been eating and drinking, if at all.
She has been eating intermittently- water with some Sulmet in it, yogurt, layer crumble, water melon, tomato, and calcium crumbles.
7) How does the poop look? Normal? Bloody? Runny? etc.
It seems somewhat normal in terms of color and consistency.... although it doesn't seem as if she can pass a normal size chicken poop.
8) What has been the treatment you have administered so far?
Isolation from other hens, kept warm in house, bathed to be kept clean, antibiotics in water and on external wound, calcium crumbles and yogurt. She often spends a good bit of time bearing down, as if she's trying to poo or lay an egg.
I lubed her up with water soluble lubricant to see if that would help her pass an egg, but am not sure that did anything. Following advice in this and other forums, I inserted a lubed and gloved finger into her vent to see if I could feel an egg that way and then help her deliver it, but no luck.
9 ) What is your intent as far as treatment? For example, do you want to treat completely yourself, or do you need help in stabilizing the bird til you can get to a vet?
Prefer DIY.
10) If you have a picture of the wound or condition, please post it. It may help.
No picture, sorry.
11) Describe the housing/bedding in use
She's in a large rubber maid container with bedding changed 2 times daily.
