About 10 days ago two of our recalcitrant hens (a white cochin and a welsumner) started squatting (they are nine months now), so we got excited that we were about to start getting more eggs. Two days ago I noticed the cochin (Bianca) seemed to be straining, and when I picked her up to investigate, saw that her vent was starting to prolapse. I immediately researched egg binding and prolapse on this site, and came across the post with lengthy, specific instructions about what to do. We tried to palpate for an egg on the outside, but could never feel anything, and she wasn't in much distress, so we let her stay with her mates until yesterday, when her prolapse was a little worse. So we brought her in, soaked her in warm water for 30 minutes, blew her hind end as dry as we could with a blowdryer, and kept her in a cat carrier with a heating pad overnight. We also massaged her abdomen a lot. By morning the prolapse had resolved, but still no egg. I put her back outside, and checked her again this afternoon, her vent looked normal (and clean and well coiffed from the wash and blowdry), and when I checked the nest box, there was a light brown regular size egg!!!! At first I wasn't sure if it was hers as I had assumed she would lay white eggs, but then I checked this site again, and sure enough, cochins lay light brown eggs. Whew! We were really worried we'd have to start doing an internal exam, and I wasn't looking forward to that at all!!!
So, a happy ending, and proof (not that I really needed any) that this site is the place to get all your chicken info.
So, a happy ending, and proof (not that I really needed any) that this site is the place to get all your chicken info.
