Help with sick hen! constipation???

[kelfio]

it wont come out. its almost like it's part of her skin. we soaked her and it didnt change. what is it? are my other chickens going to get this too?
this is terrible.

 

[LovinMyChickies]

I'm so sorry, you must be frantic.

I'm no expert, but perhaps this was a prolapse that was strangulated by her vent and the tissue is being deprived of blood and is dying.

I think if you can afford it, a trip to the vet is in order. Or just keeping her as comfortable as possible and let nature take it's course. I know, I have a sick one in my house right now that I'm "comforting", because I cannot justify a vet visit for my sweet chicken.

Take Care

 

[yab]

there's people on this site that have been known to do surgeries on their own chickens when things get stuck in the vent - but i wouldn't suggest it myself, as i have never done it.. if you have a chicken specialist in your area, i suggest to give them a ring! if not, just try to keep her as comfortable as possible until someone who knows more about chickens answers your question.. maybe give her aspirin if she's in discomfort(5pills per 1 gallon water)..

 

[kelfio]

good news everyone! she got a second really long soaking and she was able to poop/pee some. she is looking a little better and is interested in food.
i'm going to just keep on soaking her every hour or two until i go to bed. i would still like to figure out what is wrong with her though, b/c the dark stuff is so caked on that it almost looks like her skin (the post about the prolaspse turned necrotic makes the most sense so far).
i need to figure out if she just has some bio-mechanical difficulty or if it's contagious and putting the other chickens at risk.
unfortunately, my financial situation cannot justify taking a chicken to a vet, so she will have to live in the kitty carrier in my room until she heals or passes.
I am so thankful for you wonderful helpful people out there. it makes such a big difference knowing that i am not alone, and that all of you are supporting me and the hen and rooting for us.
and if anyone has further thoughts on what her ailment is, PLEASE let me know!

 

[Attack Chicken]

If you can soak her really good and with your fingers try and crumble the mass up. If its poop you should be able to break it up be very carefull though!

 

[enola]

I agree, it certainly looks like a prolapsed vent to me. When I worked in the commercial houses, sometimes if we could catch them early enough, we would put vasaline on the internal part that was sticking out and just push it back inside. Sometimes it stayed in and sometimes it didn't.

If it is a prolapsed vent, you need to take all solid food away from her and just make sure she is drinking water with the vitamins and minerals. Or just some Pedialyte.

If you feed her solids right now, when she does poop, she will simply cause more problems for the exposed vent......

She needs to see a dr................

Best of luck !

 

[chicchick]

I don't have chickens yet, but I like the idea of a little vaseline. Preparation H? A sterile ointment? What do you think? Something to soothe her. Do chickens get cold when they get wet? How is her body temp?

 

[kelfio]

she's inside in my room with the heat on (it's at least 75 degrees in here now!) after that last soaking and semi-poop she's definitely perked up quite a bit, and ive put a dark blanket over her cage so that she can just go to sleep. i think i'm going to call it a night with her for now and keep working on her in the morning.
looking at her vent, it makes me think that this wasn't an overnight sort of condition, but... i dont pick up each chicken every day and inspect them. now im thinking that maybe i should. i only have 8 of them, and they are my babies! they're all beautiful show chickens that lay nutritious eggs for me.... i definitely spend quality time with them every day, but maybe they really just need more from me.
what level of daily care/interaction/inspection do you guys have with your chickens? i would like to be a really kind and responsible chicken owner/caretaker... any suggestions?
thank you!

 

[chicchick]

How is she doing today?

 

[Wynette]

Goodness, I hope your girl is okay today! I was not online at all over the weekend...please give us a report. If she's in the same condition, if there's any way you can get a focused, close-up pic of her vent, that might really help. I hate to hear you pushing it back in, if it's in fact not a prolapse...and even if it is a prolapse and it's necrotic, I don't think it ought to be pushed back in, as I think that would cause systemic infection throughout her system. Sorry for rambling, I'm sorta thinking out loud.

Anyway, please do let us know how she's doing today, and please know we've all got high hopes she makes it through okay! You sound like a good chicken momma - and I like that you feel you ought to check them over more closely each day. It's hard to do, especially when you have more than a few. I think they key is a watchful eye. IF you have time to look each over every few days, that's excellent! If not, watch them closely, know who acts like what, where each likes to roost, etc. Then, when you see something amiss in how they're acting, that's a good time to look them over.

Looking forward to hearing from you!