help! hen with prolapsed vent

[grace21]

2 days ago i found my hen with a prolapsed maggot filled vent, i have since given her a few baths in warm water and applied honey and sugar in an attempt to reduce the swelling , as it is very large and is not going to go back in. i have managed to get rid of (i think) all of the maggots, but she is still badly constipated and not recovering at a quick rate. i dont think she is egg bound because it was highly unlikely she was laying before this happened and i can not feel any eggs stuck in her... but rather she prolapsed due to constipation. her vent is very dark, scabby and smelly. Is there something else i can do or should we put her out of her misery. please help she mean so much to me and i would be devastated if i loose her

 

[Eggcessive]

Welcome to BYC. Sorry about your hen. The longer the prolapse has been out and exposed to air, it can dry out and the tissue may become dead or necrotic. That gray or dark tissue should be removed by gentle scrubbing with a rag after a warm soak once a day in something like epsom salts, weak betadine, hibiclens, or whatever else is available. Apply honey or hemorrhoid cream to the area inside and out. Feel up inside the vent an inch or two for an egg. Place her in a dark cage for 16 hours every night to help her stop laying. Make sure that she is drinking well, passing droppings, and clean off poo as best you can. If her vent is damaged she may not fully recover, but you can try to get the infected tissue off and any remaining maggots. If she doesn't appear to get better in a few days, then I would put her down so that she doesn't suffer.

 

[grace21]

Thankyou for your help eggcessive, sadly we have made the decision to put her down

 

[Eggcessive]

Sorry for your loss of your pretty speckled sussex. At least you know she isn't suffering.

 

[chitownhens]

I had an easter egger that had a prolapsed vent. After waiting a day or so for it to go back in while applying Preparation H I ended up applying a bit more Preparation H (the one without the pain medication) and pushed the prolaspe in and held it for about 2 minutes. The baby kept trying to push my finger out but eventually relaxed and when I pulled my finger out the problapse was gone and everything stayed inside.

Maybe I got lucky but it did work for me.

Here she is about a week later laying an egg. I was keeping an eye on her watching for a recurrence.