Egg Laying Issues

[carrierose]

I have an 18 month old Silver Laced Wyandotte who, when she lays an egg, her internal vent area (intestine?) protrudes about an inch & stays out 5-10 minutes after the egg is laid. Is this normal? Is this a heath issue I should be concerned about? If so, what can be done about it? I have only had chickens about 18 months & any help will be greatly appreciated. Thanks

 

[Eggcessive]

Your hen is probably having a mild prolapsed cloaca. Some hens have it from too little calcium, and becoming egg bound, while some become egg bound from too large an egg. I have a couple of faverolles sisters who do that, and their cloaca tissue would go back inside very easily, and only would come out when they strained (while I was holding them.) Mine just seemed to have a loose vent opening, almost like a hernia. There is always a chance that it could get stuck, especially with a lot of straining in case of a large egg or becoming egg bound. Vet care is very expensive, but if you have one that is familiar with chickens, you may be able to get a stitch or two put in, but I would probably just watch her for a bit. Here is some info on prolapsed cloaca:
http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2012/04/prolapse-vent-causes-treatment-graphic.html
https://littlehenrescue.sharepoint.com/Pages/Medicaladvice.aspx
http://beautyofbirds.com/Prolapse.htm

 

[carrierose]

Thank you for the response. She has never been egg bound and has free feed oyster shell. I was lucky enough to watch her lay the egg just prior to the prolapse and she did seem to strain some but the egg wasn't an overly large egg. I have her in a wire dog crate so I can keep an eye on her for a couple days. I have four other Sliver Laced Wyandottes so I wanted to be sure I am watching the right hen. This particular hen is smaller than the other Wyandottes I have. I will check out the websites you gave.