Egg still sticking out encased in thick membrane

[tmberghst]

We have tried pushing the egg up so maybe it would come out the right way.But no luck.Me and the wife are taking turns keeping the egg held just inside her vent to keep her from straining so much'She is also bleeding just a little.Should I lance this membrane to save her'anybody done this?Vet app is 14 hours from now.what should I do.

 

[mirecipes]

The egg is stuck in her vent?
Have you tried some kind of lubricant? vegetable oil?

I'm an amature at this..Maybe someone has better ideas

 

[maymiegirl]

Do you have the Preparation H? It is an anti-inflammatory that may take the inflammation down and allow her to expel the egg. Also have you tried to slide the membrane to one side or the other in order to find the opening? Is the egg soft?

Even if you take a chance on lancing it, it is IMPERATIVE you don't let this area dry out.

 

[william9792]

if it was mine, i would help her out. take the egg out bust the egg, take time in doing it and be sure to get it all out. good luck ? is she a new layer?

 

[maymiegirl]

Even though this kills them?

 

[maymiegirl]

If you decide to lance the membrane, be careful not to lance it too far--it will stretch to allow the egg to pass. You canNOT break the egg. Most importantly, you need to sterilize and dry your razor blade or utensil and be sure to take her to the vet tomorrow anyway. BE CAREFUL not to knick a blood vessel.

Chickens are very resilient creatures if they are healthy.

 

[maymiegirl]

After you perform this procedure you will need to also put her on antibiotics. It is all inflamed now--like a hemhorroid. The Prep H cream should help a great deal with her discomfort. Here...This is the procedure you are looking for...Be very careful and use every precaution, including sterile utensils.

http://www3.sympatico.ca/davehansen/prolapse.html

 

[deenamr]

Do you have an emergency clinic in your area that you could at least call for advice? I do work for a vet and have dealt with similar situations in small birds cockateils, lovebirds, etc. We lubed everything really well and used a hemostat inserted along side the egg inside of the membrane to reach the top of the egg and help expell it. It worked by stretching the membrane away from the egg while applying pressure to the top of the well lubricated egg. It was very scary to me and I have been working there for 10 years. Not something I would want to try at home unless you feel she will not live until her appointment tomorrow. I have read about keeping a hen in this situation warm and calm and keeping her moist so things do not dry up on/around the egg. Good luck.

 

[Southernbelle]

Sounds like a uterine prolapse and it's a rare but very serious condition, often fatal. I had a hen do this and Maymiegirl gave you good advice. My hen, Esme, had expelled the egg but it was encased in a membrane.

Step 1: I kept it lubricated with Vaseline and first I re-inserted the egg and inserted my finger in the vent next to the prolapse to try to find the egg and guide it out the right way. Esme kept trying to push the egg out and I couldn't find the right pathway, so this was a no-go.

Step 2: I ended up slicing the membrane with a sterilized Exacto knife (try to slice a spot without blood vessels), extracted the egg, and sewed her up with a needle and thread (also sterlized.) Her prolapse disappeared back inside her. I had to hang onto it to keep it from disappearing before I could sew it back up.

Step 3: I kept her isolated, but I chose not to medicate with pain reliever or antibiotic. There were maybe 2 or 3 drops of blood on the floor of her cage - so not much bleeding at all.

If she ever prolapsed again - I am prepared to put her down. It could be a deformity in her that causes this and you cannot stop egg production, so it would be constantly happening. Prolapse can also caused by calcium deficiency - I had let my oyster shell dispenser run out, so I filled it up and haven't had a problem since.

Good luck!