Listless hen with object protruding from vent

[califarmgirl]

Listless Silkie hen has what looks like cooked chicken hanging out of her vent. She is listless and not eating or drinking. I attempted to gently remove the object but it appears to be attached to her insides and is causing her great pain. She is now in a dog crate separated from the other hens. This isn't pasty butt. Does anyone know what this is and how to treat it?

 

[casportpony]

Get her inside into a warm room, 80-85 degrees. If you don't have a warm enough room, improvise and find a way to get her warmed up, but do it slowly. Maybe a box with towels from the dryer, warm water bottles, heating pad set on low, that kind of stuff. Hopefully warming her up will make her a little perkier, then you can clean the vent area to get a better idea of what is is. It will be okay to get the vent area wet, but do not bathe her! Once the area is clean, take some new pictures and post them.

-Kathy

 

[califarmgirl]

Thank you for the tip Kathy. I can see into her vent a little. It's very red and what looks and feels like cooked chicken meat goes up inside. I can't see further up but it seems to be attached to her. I can't keep her still to get a better picture. Hopefully someone has encountered this before and knows what to do.

 

[casportpony]

You need to get her warm and very clean. Have you done that yet?

-Kathy

 

[casportpony]

If it's attached to her, it's probably some type of infection, but I really need to see a picture of the area all cleaned up.

-Kathy

 

[KayTee]

Stand her in a sink and gently pour warm water over her rear end. (Don't sit her in a bath of warm water - it can do more harm than good - just pour it over her bum). It should help to clean her up so you can see more clearly.

It could be a broken or soft shelled egg that has become dried out and stuck to her, or it could be a prolapse (not as awful as it sounds, but it's where she pushed too hard laying an egg and pushed a bit of her insides out as well.) Without cleaning her up it is difficult to know which one it is, and obviously the treatment options are completely different.

Let us know how you get on.

 

[califarmgirl]

She's warm but I have to wait until I get off work to do anything else. I'll give an update once I get home and get her cleaned up.

 

[Eggcessive]

It could be a lash egg or the product of internal laying which has stuck in the vent due to it's large size. Or it could be an stuck egg covered by some sort of coating. I've seen pictures on here of those which can cause the vent to bulge outward making it seem like a prolapse. Or it could be a prolapse that has been there for a bit, and it is dried poo and necrotic tissue. I would try using a lubricant such as KY and a rubber glove, and try to help her pass it if that's what it seems to be. Here are some links that may help you:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/117443/help-vent-problem-update-shes-gone
http://forum.backyardpoultry.com/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=8019702
http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2012/04/prolapse-vent-causes-treatment-graphic.html

 

[casportpony]

@Eggcessive , I once had a hen that looked like she had wet pox or canker on her vent. Not saying that's what it was, just that it looked like the pus they get in their mouths, but this was on her vent.

-Kathy

 

[califarmgirl]

I've bathed her butt and lubed her vent. She's trying to push but it is still stuck in there. She's not eating or drinking. I'll keep trying. Thank you so much for the links. Here's a picture. No puss and she's still pooping. Any other advice is welcome.