First prolapse / not sure what I'm looking at / seeking advice

[amildiaz]

This morning, I discovered my 3 year old rhode island red hen dealing with a significantly prolapsed vent. This is my first time dealing with this in my flock. There was blood dripping down and a lot of poop stuck to it.

I gave her an epsom salt bath but it didnt seem to do much. After the bath I tried to clean off some of the poop with a tissue soaked in witch hazel. She was not very tolerant of that and it was not very effective.

So I put her back in the bath and used my fingers to clean some of the poop off. She was more tolerant of that. I was able to push the prolapse back in while she was in the bath, though I wish i knew how far to push it.

However, about 15 minutes later it's back out again.

Could it be that she's egg bound? How can I tell? I'm not sure what the next steps to take are.

 

[alinas2010]

Hello, sorry to see your hen is having prolapse issues. When was the last time she laid an egg? Can you feel an egg in any of that tissue sticking out? I’m going to link an article by @azygous about a pretty severe prolapse. The treatment is applicable, still, though.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...ng-from-vent-prolapse-oh-my-what-to-do.76124/

Get her some calcium citrate plus d3 human vitamins as soon as possible, 400-600mg per day for a few days. Simply pull her wattles down gently and pop the pill in while and she’ll swallow. If the tissue won’t stay in after trying to get it to a few times, it probably isn’t going to. Eventually after the swelling subsides, the tissue will shrink and go in on its own. Until then, you will need to keep the tissue moist with something such as coconut oil or honey.

 

[Eggcessive]

Calcium or Tums 300-600 mg given into her beak to swallow can help it go back inside. It may take a few days up to a week for swelling to subside and for the prolapse to stay in when you push it back in and hold it. Just don’t let the red internal tissue dry out, and keep it moist with honey or mild oil, vaseline, etc. Initially, it appears that the other hens pecked at it, and there could be some damage. A daily warm soak to her vent may help with keeping her clean and healing.

 

[amildiaz]

Thank you all so much for your thoughtful help!

 

[amildiaz]

Update: Plum Plums is doing alright. I've been keeping the prolapse moisturized with bag balm. She's been getting a daily 630 mg Calcium Citrate since Saturday and epsom salt baths 2x/day during which I try to gently break up the poop that has dried on the prolapse. She is laying an egg every other day.

One question I have is: Is there an effective way to break up/wash off the dried poop on the prolapse. The white fecal matter is especially stubborn and I can't really pick at it without injuring the tissue.

 

[Eggcessive]

Update: Plum Plums is doing alright. I've been keeping the prolapse moisturized with bag balm. She's been getting a daily 630 mg Calcium Citrate since Saturday and epsom salt baths 2x/day during which I try to gently break up the poop that has dried on the prolapse. She is laying an egg every other day.

One question I have is: Is there an effective way to break up/wash off the dried poop on the prolapse. The white fecal matter is especially stubborn and I can't really pick at it without injuring the tissue.

That stuff will eventually fall off. It is some kind of necrotic tissue, but it will come off on it’s own. You could soak it a bit for 15 minutes and some might wash off, which is debriding a wound. But many say it falls off at some point.