Help My first dealing with a prolapse. GRAPHIC PIC WARNING!!

[jmanderson777]

Well i got the call yesterday by my wife that something was wrong with one of my hens. My hens just started laying a couple weeks ago. My wife said she could see this nasty bloody bulge with an egg in it hanging out of the hen. Sure enough she had a prolapse with an egg in it. I soaked her in a warm bath last night for about ten minutes and gently express the egg. I would say it was only a medium size egg, nothing large or extra large that i expected to see stuck. I washed her good and after reading on here I generously applied honey to the prolapse. I was able to get it back in without her squirming or or looking distressed. I held it in for a few minutes but when i put her down on the roost it popped right back out. I did the same thing tonight and it popped back out again. It looks better tonight than last night but still won't hold inside. What else can I do to help her out. I have her isolated from the rest in a crate in the basement. I have the crate covered on three sides with a blanket to keep it dark and a heater down there to make sure she is plenty warm. Here is a picture of what the prolapse looks like tonight. While on the roost she is continuously dripping/oozing a white discharge. Is that poop or normal for this condition? Thanks

 

[BlackberryFarm]

Sorry about your girl.

I have read that Preparation H is good for this sometimes. It helps draw in/shrink the tissues. I haven't had to try it on any of my hens, so I don't know how well it works. Maybe do a site search and see if there are any other threads with Preparation H in them?

Sorry I can't offer any help besides that.

Good luck.

 

[Jloeffler]

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I have also read that it may take several days of you gently pushing it back in before it will draw itself back up for good. Sounds like you are doing a good job.

 

[jmanderson777]

well it has gone down a lot over the past day. it hasnt re-inserted itself. It has formed a scaplike coating on it and is black in some spots. Should I attempt to peal the scab off? She seems fine until i try to push it back in. I gave her a dose of antibiotics in her water tonight just in case she gets infected. Here are some pics.

 

[BlackberryFarm]

If she were my hen, I would soak her real well in warm water and try to work the scab off. Only if there is very light bleeding would I continue to try to clean off the scab, though.

Then I would apply the Prep H and gently insert the tissue and hold it in for a while. Repeat at least daily if needed.

I think the antibiotic is a good idea. Just be mindful to not eat any eggs from her (if she lays any) until the withdrawal period is over. Pay close attention to any bad odors and make sure there are no flies near her vent. Maggots would be very bad for her future.

I wonder if giving her vent some support, like a diaper or something, would be helpful. I know they make poultry diapers, but don't know the first thing about them. Sorry.

I don't have any experience with a prolapse, sorry. Those are just the things I would do.

Hopefully you'll get some good input from some of the more experienced flocks!

Good luck!

 

[mysweetpeeps]

I had that problem with my hen. It wasn't as severe but I think the treatment will be the same: https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=464760

I didn't remove the scab because I thought an open wound would be a good avenue for bacteria from the poop to enter into her system. When it is ready, it will pop off - just like when ours heal. Just keep doing it the treatment... don't get discouraged if it doesn't go in right away... it will eventually!

 

[Dudu]

This forum is great! I read on here to bathe and use PrepH, so I bathed ours twice a day (morning and bedtime) in warm camomile tea and then applied Anacal which is similar to PrepH in how it works. I didn't try to get the scab off, but after each bath it was soaked and was coming off bit by bit by itself. The ones hanging loose I clipped off with my fingernails, but the rest I left. In less than a week she was fine, one fine day after the bath and applying the gelly it went in by itself (as we had stopped pushing it in, cos it would always come out as soon as she began to "speak"). Then it went out again for some hours,then next bath and gel went in again. One day it just stayed in. I think it's been a month and she's fine!

 

[jmanderson777]

Well I wanted to give you guys an update on my hen. Two nights ago I was able to get the entire scab off. I use the towel trick in the bumblefoot surgery post to keep her still and calm. She didn't even flinch after an hour of picking and pulling. Part of it was a bunch of dead skin that had turned hard and black. It was the hardest part to get off. Also there was a sack like area that was greyish tissue. I am not sure of the purpose of this tissue but when pulling the scab this stuff pealed right off. I was left with a nice pink tissue ring that was only 1/4" deep protruding. I gently pushed it back in and it stayed. Checked her last night and it was still inside her. She's pooping normal too now. The tissue that pealed off was acting like a pouch collecting poop before I removed it. Hope she is in the clear now. Unfortunatly we are going out of town until Sunday so I have left a friend to tend to her. I am keeping her in the dark until I return to prevent a relapse. Then she's going back out to the flock.

 

[KandiandJerry]

Good luck...I hope she does well.

 

[Jloeffler]

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