My Buff Orpington with oviduct prolapse / prolapsed vent. Warning, pictures are graphic!

[lindareynolds]

My hen had an oviduct prolapse (I think that is what it is called) yesterday. We set her in warm Epsom salts water with some peroxide poured in the water. As my husband attempted to work the 2 eggs back the direction from which they came the membrane tore. He removed the eggs, one was soft, the other just looked like a regular sized egg. He then used preparation H to push all back inside. We brought her home, placed her in a large dog crate, on a towel, with water (mixed with a vitamin supplement). I placed towels over the top of the cage to make it darker. When I checked on her this morning she was standing in the back of the cage. Looks like she has had 3 -4 bowel movements. Her vent appears to have stayed inside her. I have several questions. What type food do I offer her? Can I put pine shavings in there? When should I try to give her time with her coop mates? How often should we wash the area? Do we reapply Prep H each time? I am going to add oxytetracycline to her water today. I have read not to eat her eggs for 21days. How do you tell which egged are hers? I know this is a lot! Thanks in advance for your time and patience!

 

[scratch'n'peck]

I'm not really sure if the membrane or skin drying and hardening is a concern or not. Betadine or iodine would be better in the bath than hydrogen peroxide. I tend to use hydrogen peroxide only for the initial cleaning, because it does damage skin cells and can slow healing with repeated use.

Try giving her a few treats that you know she likes to see if she has any appetite. The more nutrient dense the treat the better, but she may not be in the mood to try new food. I hope she is drinking enough. At least she is pooping okay. I am not really sure what to do about the repeated prolapses. I hope others respond who have had similar experiences.

 

[scratch'n'peck]

The steady improvement is good, and I am glad she is interested in eating, drinking and ranging around. You and your husband make a great chicken nursing team for Olive.

I just don't have the experience to say what to expect next, but giving her some time with her flock mates now that she isn't reprolapsing as much makes sense.

 

[arkansas55]

im so thankful she is doing so well,you and your husband have made an awesome team,this is a good day!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[arkansas55]

Olive is now back with her coop mates. She seems more skiddish of them than them trying pick on her. I went to check on them after dark, she was on the lower perch, but she was up there! The prolapse has been in check for days! Now, if she can lay an egg! Thanks to all of you for all your help!!

So very glad she is doing well,you have done an awesome job of healing her!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Spartan22]

I had no experience and input in this, but am glad your pet is ok. It's very educational and helpful for me in the future. Thanks for sharing makes me I guess a better flock owner.

 

[scratch'n'peck]

Pretty sure Olive laid an egg yesterday!!!

Yippee! I'm glad things are back to normal.

 

[sasnak45]

My buff orpington hen also prolapsed. I followed the same basic treatment schedule. I bought antibiotic in granular form but did not use it. The membrane did not stay inside after repeated attempts using sugar, Prep H, Epsom salt baths and in a cage with no light for a few days. The membrane dried up and fell off. I also clipped her bum feathers so I could clean her up better. I took her back to the coop and all seems OK. I have 15 hens and yesterday 15 eggs, so I guess she is now laying. First time for all this. I thought I would lose the hen, but thanks for the hints everyone.

 

[scratch'n'peck]

I don't have a lot of experience with this but I will answer what I can. She can have her regular food and if it is not normal layer rations make sure she is getting enough calcium. Pine shavings should be fine. You may want to keep her out of the coop for a few days in lower light conditions to reduce her ovulation for a while and give her a bit of a break from laying. She can have supervised visits with the flock for a while if you want. Depending on how much poop is getting on her, clean her at least once a day and put prep H on for a few days. I don't know if I would give her an antibiotic for the membrane rip. It's not that it would hurt her really but I don't if it would help. I guess you would have to watch her or separate her to tell which eggs are hers. I can tell some of my chickens eggs apart because they are different breeds.

I suppose the moment of truth will be when she lays another egg. Hopefully it was a one time thing because of that soft egg, and she won't prolapse again.

Maybe someone else will respond with more details or ideas.

 

[lindareynolds]

I don't have a lot of experience with this but I will answer what I can. She can have her regular food and if it is not normal layer rations make sure she is getting enough calcium. Pine shavings should be fine. You may want to keep her out of the coop for a few days in lower light conditions to reduce her ovulation for a while and give her a bit of a break from laying. She can have supervised visits with the flock for a while if you want. Depending on how much poop is getting on her, clean her at least once a day and put prep H on for a few days. I don't know if I would give her an antibiotic for the membrane rip. It's not that it would hurt her really but I don't if it would help. I guess you would have to watch her or separate her to tell which eggs are hers. I can tell some of my chickens eggs apart because they are different breeds.

I suppose the moment of truth will be when she lays another egg. Hopefully it was a one time thing because of that soft egg, and she won't prolapse again.

Maybe someone else will respond with more details or ideas.

Thank you so much for your response!